Tomorrow we’ll be taking a team of 20 back to Haiti – the 6th mission to Hispaniola in 2010. This brief and personal video greeting inaugurates our mission overseas. We are at launch D minus 1 day.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBN4qiYAPC0
We had a few minutes to put together this video clip from the Transformational Leadership trainings in Haiti and the Dominican Republic the past two weeks. It’s chronological, and it should be pretty obvious when we leave Haiti and get to the DR. I’ve chosen to include the good and the bad, because it helps to laugh (like when our friend “KK” got locked in the bathroom). Some of the pictures we took show empty chairs – trust me, they were all full: it wasn’t always possible to get pictures during teaching times. Especially in Santo Domingo during the Spirit-led times of surrender and reconciliation. Over 100 Haitian pastors and over 100 Dominican pastors & leaders took part in the institutes and we all experienced the presence and power of God…
Enjoy! (And turn up the resolution to 720p if your internet connection supports it.)
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Rick shares how Jesus changed his life
The classic headfirst apostle is Peter – with little regard for how things could be done or should be done, he went for it. Long before Texas Hold ’em, Peter went “All In.” On one of our final nights in Haiti, I had the privilege of preaching to a crowd from the community who had come to join us for a free meal at the Center for Hope. About 200 adults and youth ate, listened to my friend Rick’s story of salvation, and learned about Peter’s courageous decision to step out of the boat (while ~80 children learned about Jesus and played a short distance away.)
All preconceptions are wiped clean when you Read More
Kiefer Sutherland as 24's Jack Bauer (courtesy of Kelsey McNeal/FOX)
Tracing back over several hundred years, the battlefield technique of suppressive fire was enhanced in World War II by the introduction of hand-held automatic weapons. The thrust of the tactic is to respond to a threat with a barrage so powerful that the enemy is forced to temporarily stand down or withdraw from a battle, allowing safer maneuver of troops. In modern media, a protagonist such as 24‘s Jack Bauer will request suppressive fire with a phrase as simple as “cover me.”
In Afghanistan, Master Gunnery Sergeant Peter Proietto of the U.S. Marine Corps was on a patrol ambushed by Taliban fighters. His story and more
John Eldredge, courtesy of Ransomed Heart
John Eldredge posted an article last month in which he unpacked the connection between the pace of life and our weakened resistance to spiritual attack. “The world is utterly draining,” he wrote, “and when we are drained, we are vulnerable.” He also offered eight suggestions for drawing close to the Lord and building our defenses against the adversary.
I agree with John in his assessment of my vulnerability. Whether it’s a direct spiritual attack or just the barrage of the world system, my defenses become worn down by the distractions and pressures of life. Like all believers, I need to refresh and refocus on Christ through prayer, study of the Scriptures, solitude and the practice of other spiritual disciplines. The power of God in answer to prayer cannot be overstated. Click for my prayer needs
As the church leadership team gathered for a meal, planning and prayer, someone asked about my recent return from Haiti. I’d been having a bit of trouble knowing how to answer some of the questions this past week. Joe turned to me and asked, “Do you have PTSD? I fought in Vietnam and I know what you’re going through.” I thought a little bit and nodded my head. Joe continued, “Seeing death, seeing the casualties – we can talk, okay?” The confirmation was helpful – why I’ve resisted looking at my photos and have felt awkward summarizing the mission. Joe fought in a real war – with bombs and shelling and shrapnel. It didn’t seem like my experience with the devastation in Haiti was on the same level.
I was on a different battlefield – no question about that. But we were also at war. The spiritual battle and oppression, the Haitian practices of voodoo and the occult, the political corruption, and yes, the death and destruction. Port-au-Prince is a war zone, with every other structure reduced to rubble, and refugees clamoring for aid – seeking shelter under tarps in every open space in the city.
I am grateful that Joe had the insight and the openness to connect with me, and help me step out of the mental fog of war. When we run headfirst, we must be cognizant of the cost of battle. It’s not an excuse to escape from doing what God calls us to do. But it’s the recognition that fatigue, heartbreak and trauma come from being at war. I am taking time to mourn, to process, and to re-gear. Because we know the battle is won, but the fighting isn’t over.
It’s hard to express how grieved I am right now, upon returning from Haiti for the 2nd time this month. While we worked to bring focus to a desperate situation, we encountered spiritual oppression, arrogance, spiritual immaturity, narcissism, division and distrust. We had to pray constantly and be on guard against forces of confusion and critical spirits.
Praying and striving to stay focused on Christ’s provision for the people of Port-au-Prince and greater Haiti was far more difficult this time around. In hindsight, I feel foolish to have been caught so off-guard. Why am I surprised, after writing just last week about God’s light in the darkness being His power shining forth through us as earthen vessels, that the rest of the passage would be just as real? Read More
Before and after the earthquake
The sun was still overhead, but the sensation of spiritual oppression was all around us. We walked from the presidential palace, whole floors collapsed, past the piles of rubble which had been the Haitian treasury building. A caravan of military vehicles made its way through the recently plowed streets. More than three weeks after the earthquake of January 12, 2010, very little had changed. Broken cinder blocks and twisted rebar still covered city blocks, and a look upward revealed rooflines at every angle to the sky – but none of them as they should be. These buildings, businesses and homes were now unintended mausoleums, housing the bodies of thousands of children and adults. The living were still wandering in the streets, Read More
Learning to live headfirst is harder for some than others. I’d assess myself in the bottom 20th percentile of “naturally living headfirst.” I frequently remind myself, as greatly needed, that a thousand lies of the accuser come rushing at me every day. I purposefully read Scripture and recall it throughout the day, because (as my friend JP says) the truest thing about me is what God says is true.
If it comes down to living as a strategist or living out my faith, I want to live by faith. Planning, strategy, sequencing – these are all beneficial to the Christian life, and I’m grateful, because they are part of my strong suit. But none of them help me live by faith; sometimes they offer excuses for me to not rely on Christ.
Let me illustrate how this played out over the last two weeks… Read More
He was wearing a black shirt with a drawing of a cross. It said “Killed in the line of duty” and had a quote from Philippians. Hugo had been wandering the streets of Port-au-Prince, but when he saw us he motioned for us to come to him. My teammate Ted was taking video and stills in front of the collapsed Treasury and Hugo saw something he thought we’d want on film. More than 3 weeks after the earthquake, a young man’s body lay covered with dust, trapped beneath shards of concrete. I could see his face, his ear, his arm. It was heart-piercing and unforgettable.
Hugo’s home was crushed and his family was dead. He asked if we could pass word to his cousin in the U.S. that he was still alive. He didn’t seem to know where he was going. I asked him about his shirt – was he a Christian; did he have a church? While we spoke, Haitians continued to wander up and down the streets. A young woman balanced a hardshell suitcase on her head and just watched us from the corner. Military convoys passed by, the Red Cross, the UN. Two CAT earth movers were parked next to the twisted rebar, unmanned. Ted spoke softly with Hugo as we tried to offer him compassion and aid. Then we had to leave.
The media reports the numbers: how many dead, how many orphans, how many homeless. There is tremendous darkness, tragedy and pain.
Only Christ can bring hope. No amount of darkness can consume light. For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness” made His light shine in our hearts…
We can build the Kingdom together. Offer the Gospel to the lost. Build new communities. Bring healing and hope. Get ready to join in – you can find your role as the Church comes together for Haiti. More very soon…
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