Resting in His Radical Love

Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart,  and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.  

It’s a familiar verse but I struggle to apply it to my life many times. This is one of those times.

I have my understanding of what the Nuer need. We have been privileged to work among them for more than a year now, so I have formed my limited understanding of what they need based on much observation. My understandingis that they would benefit greatly from an outside perspective of the love of God. My observation has been that there are not a lot of examples to point to of sacrificial love. Without some picture of what sacrificial love looks like, it has to be difficult for the love of Jesus to really sink in.

In my personal culture, I can find with a little effort examples of husbands that love their wives sacrificially. I can find parents that work hard and sacrifice for their children. So I started to wonder if perhaps the Lord had chosen us to be a living example of sacrificial love and to speak of His sacrificial love and how it naturally flows into our lives as followers of Christ.

Now, as we face the final days that we have with Nuer, I have to reconsider everything that I thought I understood. So it is not, at least immediately, God’s plan to reveal himself through us, foreign missionaries. And we won’t get to spend the time and life with them that we thought we would.

I am encouraged, though, that the Lord must have bigger plans. As hard as it is for us to leave, we have to trust that the Holy Spirit will reveal Jesus in heart-transforming ways, even without anyone from the outside here. I have met men during my time that have a Spirit-driven desire to see the Church be more beautiful and more refined. They're willing to stand for truth even if culture will push back. In a time like this, I really am grateful I don’t have to lean on my own understanding and that all I have to do is submit to God in the ways I go.

I am grateful I can indeed trust that He can use whatever vessel He desires to bring the heart transformation we long to see.

I can rest in His radical love for the Nuer and His radical love for us.

Remember Your First Love

I have been thinking a lot lately about life and what is primary.

What in our lives should we put first?

Of course, because I follow Christ, what is supposed to be primary is obvious: Jesus. It’s the next step in my thought process, though, that's been challenging me. How do we put Jesus as primary? Is it by devoting our lives to service? Is it by replacing “secular” activities with “holy” ones? Is it by standing up for the truths revealed in the Bible? Is it by doing something God wants us to do? 

Of course these things fit “inside” of the answer, but as I read Revelation 2 and what it says about the Church in Ephesus, I have to think that doing for the Lord is a secondary priority to “remembering our first love." So often, though, my next thought is, "But I'm American, and so the proof is in the pudding. If I love Jesus, I will serve Jesus, so I simply must quickly turn my affection into action. I need to get busy and do before someone starts quoting James 1:22."

I would never argue that doing nothing is the answer, but I keep finding myself just barely getting a glimpse of the feet of Jesus before I start feeling like I should run and help Martha. Perhaps more tragically, I have found myself at times trying to sit at the feet of Jesus only to become a better servant of His. I got it backwards.

I try to make Jesus a means to my service or fruit instead of making Him my deepest affection.

This is my struggle. I am not trying to make it yours if you don't struggle with this, too. I hope you read this and you feel like you have permission to be with Jesus a lot more than you thought was okay before. I hope you feel permission to say no to a service opportunity or a church activity in favor of spending time in the presence of God to love and be loved by him.

I think we might have to park our ideas about “our impact” and “our legacy." We will have to tame our cultural urge to produce a product at all times. Only then will we be able to feel comfortable making the trade from “doing for” to “being with.”

Let’s try and just spend time “remembering our first love." 

I want to build something for you, God

I want to build something for you, God. 

The desire comes with mixed motives I'm sure. It's hard for us as believers to meditate on the gospel and not come away with a burning desire to advance the Kingdom of God. To see our Jesus lifted high. He is just too good to keep Him all to ourselves.

On the other hand, when I am confronted with a lack of tangible fruit in some area of life, it's revealed that maybe my desire for this advancement is also motivated a bit by my desire to feel good about what I do. I want to feel like my life counts, like I'm successful, effective, and equipped. This desire is not bad, either. I believe this is a God-given desire.

It's when I find myself chasing significance and accomplishment apart from Jesus that I begin to walk away from the life God wants for me and toward the bits of death we call sin.

God may be responding to my statement, “I want to build something for you God.”

He may be saying:

I want to build something WITH you, son.

I want you to stop looking at your building project long enough to turn toward me and to take my hand. I want you to find my heart. Let’s look at this building together. Why don’t you ask me to move the bricks that are impossible for you to move? Why don’t you look at the things you are not equipped for as things that you need my help with, not things that prevent your success? After all, I don’t need builders. I can speak buildings into existence. I don’t need your service. I washed my friends' feet when I was with them.

I came to serve, remember? What I really want for you is more relationship. I want you to walk in the joy of holding the shepherd’s hand while we go together and carry out the ministry of reconciliation. I have given you an amazing mission to go out and restore people to their passionate, loving Father. Not because I am helpless to save them without your excellent work and strategy, but because you will get to know my heart as you seek as I seek and love as I love.

I could be wrong, but as I consider these statements, I think I find every single one is scripture. Help me if you think I am wrong. 

He wants to build something with us.

Do I have what it takes?

Do I have what it takes? It’s a question I had before I left the states and it is still the main question after a year of being in Africa. It's a question that's shaped my past, and I think it will be a question that has the power to shape my present and my future.

I have a hunch that I'm not the only one. You and I don’t just ask ourselves this question, we spend our time trying to look for evidence of the answer. We look at the results of our work or relationships and we critique ourselves about the quality of our results. If we don’t find flawless execution and better-than-average results, we begin to critique our personalities, skill levels, and our natural abilities.

We find things that could have been done better if one of these things were different. We look at ourselves and notice we aren't perfectly suited for what we do today. We might look for something we are better at. We might start to avoid situations that make us uncomfortable. If we are really “spiritual,” we pray for God to improve us.

Soon, our gifts and talents are our Lord instead of Jesus.  

Do I have what it takes? That is not a question we need to answer. It’s a question we need to go to war against. It's a question in direct opposition at times with the question we should be asking.

We should be asking, "What does God want to do in our lives? What is he calling us too?"

Beloved, it's not even about the results. We are off track from the beginning if we think God wants more from us: more results, more success, or more impact. Jesus doesn’t want more from us, He wants more of us. He wants us to be consumed with Him because He designed us to be consumed by Him. When we are consumed by Him, we bring Him the most joy and we ourselves receive the most joy.

He wants to lead us to places where we will find more of Him not to find a more significant life. He wants us to stop trying to find the way we can bring him the most success and start trying to find the way we can find the most of Him 

The application of this differs slightly from person to person, but all followers of Jesus are, by nature, missionaries. We can stop asking if we are good missionaries and start asking instead, "Lord, where should we go? Lord, who should we talk to? And Lord, What do you want us to say to them?"

My guarantee is this: He will lead us not to comfortable places but to ones filled with more joy and more Jesus. 

Waiting

We wait and we watch. We wait as fragile peace is compromised. We are forced to watch as innocent people are abused and killed by those fighting for power.

As I watch, ceasefire or not, I see only one solution.

One way that South Sudan will be changed. One way it can be saved.

Of course it’s the gospel, but just to be more specific--I am not just talking about individuals being rescued from their sin and missing out on the punishment of that sin. I mean the gospel lived out in lives. I mean the kingdom advanced so completely in human hearts that they forgive the unforgivable. I mean people knowing Jesus to the extent that they don’t need other things. I mean that they know the fullness of Jesus and don't need more revenge, power, significance, or money.

Personally, I have days where I feel the undertow of all of those “more” desires in myself and have little hope of ever seeing these things happen. I also have days where I can feel the strength of the Spirit in me and I know that it already has satisfied me.

I have hope for the people of South Sudan because it is never too late and it is never too far gone. I know this because of my own story and because of the stories from scripture.

I have hope for South Sudan because our God is not only big enough, He has done it before.

I have hope for South Sudan because I know the power of the gospel to transform.

As you pray with us for the nation of South Sudan and her people, pray with faith-filled confidence.

Pray with hope. Pray with the awareness of the power and majesty of our King.

Abiding

I thought this all through training before I got to Uganda, and it is definitely true now, too.

Life feels deeper to me. Not better, not worse, but deeper.

The balance of contentment and discontentment is in the same place, but life is deeper. It is not that we are in Africa that makes it that way. It is that we are on mission with our glorious, pursuing, missional God. Context and geographical location are secondary. No matter where we are while on mission, it is hard. So hard that it requires daily divine intervention. Each day we surrender a little more of our will for more of His. Each day we die to our selves just a bit more so that He lives a bit more through us.

This process is not something that can be done with our ambition or talent or resolve. It is a miracle. It forces you to go to God moment by moment. It forces you to rely more completely on His provision. In the midst of reliance, intimacy increases. Maybe God calls us to join His mission not just for the sake of drawing others closer to Himself, but also to draw us into circumstances that He can use to draw us into the depth of life that is abiding in Him.

Along the journey of the good works that He has arranged for us, we find that the Lord has us at the destination already: Resting in His arms.

Sometimes I am so blind. Turns out, that is OK.

   A little over 8 weeks ago Keisha and I were given an assignment in our training with Every Village to come up with a strategy to reach out to people. Very soon I felt the Lord leading us to sit with a sign in a public place that said "How may we pray for you" --Simple idea. We had no idea if it was a good strategy or if it works, but we went with it. --

     We have been going every Friday at 3pm to Memorial Park with our sign and sitting there waiting. Normally we have one, and only one, person stop for prayer. Last Friday was a little different though and it put the rest of our time in perspective. At first we had some interactions with people that didn’t stop but just answered our sign with fun things like “that I can finish this lap strong”  and “that I don’t pass out” We also had a lady stop and ask for prayer for her father who has cancer. God keeps encouraging us with at least one request each time we go but the Lord really encouraged me on a much deeper level this time. As I sat there and pondered why I was sitting there and about the presence and activity of God. I suddenly knew that it did not matter if people stopped or not. It does not matter if we have spontaneous  relationships with people that do not know Jesus, or if we see people come to trust in Jesus through those relationships. Of course that is our hope and our purpose for being there (as well as to encourage and pray on others behalf hoping God will answer and draw people closer to Himself) but  in the end it does not matter what we saw with our eyes.  It does not matter if we are gratified by a positive result. Could it be that the sign and the weekly presence is making an impact on hundreds of people that I will never see? Is it possible that the Lord regularly answers our prayer... that there is a “distinct feeling of peace and warmth as people pass in front of us”? What is the impact of this momentary event?  

     As I watched pairs of people look over and start talking about the sign, I don’t know if they are making fun or if they are starting a life altering conversation about their differing beliefs. I am realizing though, that God does what He wants and He is capable of the latter. The most encouraging part though is that results matter a lot less than before. It’s a lot harder to become discouraged knowing that there are unseen things happening below the surface. There is an untold number of small interactions we have throughout our years that are unbeknownst to us, absolutely changing lives. There are moments in our life that we walk away from saying, “I failed” and maybe God has used them more powerfully than the opportunities that we wish we had. I know this, your God is indeed using your life even if you can’t really see how, and one day when all that is sad becomes untrue, and we are at the wedding supper that is promised, there will be some talk of the things that He did, that we were blind to see. 

It is not your business to succeed, but to do right; when you have done so, the rest lies with God. -C.S. Lewis

Jesus is so worth it!

Hi I am Jared Pierce I am married to the love of my life Keisha Pierce, we have three kids, Aiden, Ben, and Brooke and God has asked us to move to Nasir, South Sudan!

I have been hesitant to post on our blog, hesitant for two reasons. First off, I feel weird posting on a blog about ourselves. I feel weird  because it seems so presumptuous that people would want to take time to read my thoughts or read a story about us. We are just so common so normal and typical I don't know that any post will excite or inspire. My other source of hesitation is that I am writing to "nobody" ,that I am just wasting my time writing. Then I remember that this journey is not about me or Keisha or the kids, it's not about my ability to entertain or capture readers. This journey of our life is about our Lord, and how HE brings Himself glory through the story that is "our" redeemed story line. So if it is true that I am telling a single small thread of God's story of goodness, one that speaks of His grace, one that is about His steadfast loving kindness then I go from hesitant to overjoyed.

I will start at the beginning as far as I can see is the beginning. Why are we going to South Sudan?? Why not stay here? Why not somewhere else?? About three years ago I felt the start of a deep longing to do something. I had no idea what it was but I wanted to do something. Over time I realized that the something was generally living a life that was a picture of gratitude for what God had done through His son Jesus. He lowered himself, and bore all the shame, agony, and punishment that rightfully belonged to me. He lived a perfect life, perfectly pleasing to the Father and then He handed it over to me. Now I am reconciled, restored, and beloved. There is nothing left that I "need" or "need to do" because He did it all but He put in me this burning desire to do something to express my gratefulness and love.The burning desire turned out to be the easy part. The hard part was.....specifics.....Lord Jesus, what do you want me to do? I want to be where you are and, I want to be part of something that you are in, something you designed for me. If your not in it then what is the point? What is the specific action you want me to take? Should I give more, try to become a pastor, start some ministry? It was these questions that were my heart ache for almost 3 years. We now all know what that specific something was but there was a process that HE took us through that I believe was as much part of the story as what is to come.  

Keisha and I were looking for that something everywhere but instead it found us.... Keisha and I were looking for a church that we thought might provide some clue and we went to visit a large church that some friends were going to. The first Sunday they were starting a community outreach and we signed up. The following week we participated and it was enough to get us interested and go back to check out a random Sunday School class.  The place that turned out to be a place of multiple paradigm shifts. There was Peter standing up in front of us praying with a passion and loving Jesus like I had not seen done before. As we sat there being challenged Sunday after Sunday to actually do what Jesus commanded us to do, and expect what we saw in the Bible I felt stirring in my spirit. This guy kept saying “just go love Jesus, go spend time with Jesus” I began to take his advice. What I found was a surprisingly intimate relationship that started transforming me. Fast forward about a year later and Peter says “We are going to South Sudan in October and I want everyone to pray about going. I immediately felt the Lord prodding me to go, but I didn't want to leave my family for two weeks, I don’t’ want to risk my life in some country I have barley heard of. I knew it would cost too much.. What about China..As I prayed about it and I read a blog written by one of the ladies that went on trips with Every Village I began to get excited. I read more about how this lady went because of a book she read and then got there and fell in love with the South Sudanese. I proudly thought to myself “that must be what is going to happen to me” and I will end up there with my family 

Instead though I get there and I absolutely love South Sudan and the mud and the huge beautiful smiles the sunrises and the stars and African laughter and people that had hope and faith and not much else but something was missing. I did not feel “called to go” I did not feel the same way as this lady blogger.  I felt only “discouraged” I prayed and prayed and was met with only doubt. I must make a long story short but it was ironic that I was at the time adjusting my worldview to incorporate spiritual warfare because that was what I was right in the middle of and God was allowing me to learn what a battle looked like. I struggled to have the same feelings as I had before the trip and started to think it was all just my big mistake. I started to resign to the apparently inescapable reality that I was supposed to stay in my job and just live out my faith in other ways. Over the next few months I became comfortable with this and the joy started to come back, on most days anyways. It was about that time that the Every Village Gala was happening, I considered not going, but wanted to cheer on the work they were doing so we did.

I sat there in a bit of an awe as I was taken completely by surprise. I began to feel a deep burden for the country and people of South Sudan. I felt the words “Who will go for me” well up from within me I can only describe it as a work of God’s merciful power as I burned inside with each picture and each word. The tears did not come though until Peter read James 4:14. I know that it is not the thrust of the passage but the words “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” echoed in my head. I was not effected they way you might think, instead I felt that God said to me, you belong to me, your life is but a small tiny window of time among billions of loved people, your life is mine, I am responsible for the impact of your life, relax and obey. It was a moment of power that ended a lot of thought patterns that had plagued me. God had been chipping away at them as HE taught me from October to June. Since then, God has sent so much affirmation of that call. Needless to say the bulk of our focus and prayer is now turned toward South Sudan, and going there soon for two years to live with the Nuer people and share the love and grace of Jesus Christ.

I want close by saying, I hope you see this story as God's story. I hope HE receives all the glory. I hope it was obvious that I had very little to do with any of the important parts. I hope you will pray with me as Keisha and I navigate through many challenges that we are now facing and....All praise and glory be to our Lord for this mercy and for all that he will do.