Eagle Nest Ministries

…providing a safe place for tomorrow's world changers…

Prophetic Vision

Oct 2

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The oft quoted phrase “Where there is no vision, the people perish” is something that comes to all of our minds on our lives from time to time as a compass, a friendly reminder to stay on course in our lives. These words were penned by king Solomon, the icon of ancient wisdom, in Proverbs 29:18. The man had seen it all (both good and bad, positive and negative), and if you don’t believe that, read his writings: Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, Proverbs. Though this is but one of his many wise observations, it is certainly among the most powerful.

The power of vision cannot be overestimated. In a life of constant challenge and change, vision keeps us moving forward, steady on course. Often it’s “two steps forward and one step back,” and that poses no problem, so long as the two steps forward are indeed FORWARD toward the goal. Vision sees the goal.

Vision frames our conflict. It captures our passion. It motivates our actions. Everyone has a vision for their lives, and everyone is deeply affected by it. One modern word we have seized upon to describe this phenomenon is “paradigm.” A person’s paradigm is the set of glasses they wear that effects everything they see in their world.

Vision is a two way street. In order to see forward, we must be willing to effectively analyze the past. In order to see clearly outward, we must experience a healthy dose of introspection. In order to see the world around us in proper perspective we must look see the Lord high and lifted up.

The young prophet Isaiah understood this when he experienced a “game changer” moment when his paradigm shifted and his call unfolded. In Isaiah chapter 6 we catch a glimpse of this metamorphosis in Isaiah’s life:

 “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD sitting upona throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain

he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with

twain he did fly.

And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the

LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and

the house was filled with smoke.

Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of

unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips:

for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his

hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:

And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy

lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and

who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. (Isaiah 6:1-8)

Isaiah’s experience is a pattern for all of us and we can draw from it the following:

  1. Negative experiences and serious loss in our lives serve as a wake-up call to a new perspective.
  2. In such times we are to first look up and see God, and base everything else on what we see in our encounter with Him.
  3. Then we can look inward and see clearly. The “woe is me,”–genuine repentance– is a necessary step to moving forward and seeing all of life clearly. It can’t happen until we see ourselves in the light of His presence.
  4. Our call is realized by hearing His voice and committing ourselves to His purposes. It is only when we give our lives to something bigger than us, something that will outlive us and holds eternal value, that we come to understand in expeience the “vision” of Proverbs 29:18.
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Diamonds in the Dust

Jun 20

Posted by eaglenest in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

“The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis but rather the feeling of being unwanted.” …Mother Theresa of Calcutta

“When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me.” …Psalm 27:10

It’s been said it before and it is worth saying again: working with God’s kids is a privilege. I’ve worked with young people all my life: serving as a youth director in southern California for 8 years prior to stepping out into international youth work in places like Hong Kong, Thailand, the Philippines, the Rocky Mountains, Australia, the Yucatan and here in Mexico. Much of my time has been spent among the middle class young people of the world. Some has been among what I would call the “up and out” kids of privilege. Some of it has been among the discarded young ones that roam the streets. All of them are God’s kids, but none as much as those who have no parents in this life.

I will never forget the experience of  leading a team of Australians on a three week love-in-action expedition through Mexico. We did it two years in a row—’93 and ’94. Flying from Sydney to San Diego, we rented a couple of vans and entered Mexico through Nogales, Arizona. Our main stops were Guadalajara and Mexico City, with many small stops along the way. Memories of these trips abound, but without a doubt I will never forget the street kids we hung out with in Mexico City. Running together in packs of 15-20 and living in the sewer lines and abandoned buildings, these little orphans spent most of their times sniffing glue from dirty cellophane bags they carried around in their pockets. They would wash car windows for a daily supply of pesos, and when darkness came they would sleep under cardboard shelter—if some could be found. I was impressed with the way they pulled together—the older ones caring for the younger ones—all of them looking out for each other. Through them God reminded me that no matter how difficult it gets, there is still room for good, still opportunity to love and serve.

The days we spent with these young vagabonds were precious but fleeting. When the time came  to leave, we packed up our van and drove away, knowing that at the end of our journey was the comfortable sanctuary we call home. But they remained to carry on, homeless and abandoned. Now, years later, the memory burns within me.

The other day I opened my Bible and my eyes fell on a passage written from prison by the a man who called himself “the chief of sinners,” the Apostle Paul. He wrote:

“We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” …Ephesians 2:10

Who is “we?” I thought. Then it came to me: it is ALL of us, every person ever born into God’s world.

That’s it:  every child that comes into the world is another thread in God’s tapestry of creation! There are no exceptions. Parents make mistakes, fathers go AWOL , but Father God is right there saying “very good” each and every birthday. He hasn’t missed a single one. Jesus reminded his disciples of this when he said:

“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” …Matthew 10:29-30

The Greek word that prisoner Paul  used for “workmanship” is “poema.” Having written poetry in my younger years, I am aware of how much thought I put into each line.  If we are God’s poem, imagine how much thought He put into making us! And I don’t think He is finished with us yet! All of us are born with a beautiful message locked up on the inside—and God’s plan and purpose is to unlock that message, display it in us, and make the world a better place through us! And as Yogi Berra once said “It ain’t over until it’s over!”

We have all come into the world with this watermark: made by God–certified and genuine–His workmanship. And of this we can be sure: God doesn’t make junk!

I look forward to being here to see a whole generation of displaced, orphaned and abused young people find their place in this world.

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The Power of One

Apr 1

Posted by eaglenest in Uncategorized | 18 Comments

There is a song we used to sing around the fire at summer camp was I was a kid, called “It only takes a spark.” The lyrics go like this:

“It only takes a spark to get a fire going, and soon all those around will warm up to its glowing. That’s how it is with God’s love, once you’ve experienced it. You spread His love to everyone. You want to pass it on.”

I have seen the power of the spark in my life, and you have too. History is full of people who saw a need, stepped out of their comfort zone, and did what was right–often at great peril to themselves. Like sparks, they lit a fire of inspiration and courage in the hearts of others. In many cases, movements were started that continue to touch is all.

I think of Martin Luther King, whose great “I have a dream” speech was commemorated yesterday. I think of William and Catherine Booth who established the Salvation Army amidst the squalid slum conditions of London in the 1800′s. (William Booth was the son of an alcoholic who went bankrupt and in his utter poverty, when he   “could no longer afford his son’s school fees, and 13-year-old William Booth was apprenticed to a pawnbroker.”

I think of the little boy in the crowd of 5,000 that had followed Jesus into the countryside, who simply gave his brown-bag lunch of 5 barley loaves  and 2 small fish to Jesus because He asked him for it, only to watch as the Master multiplied his small offering to feed everyone there.

I think of William Wilberforce, who was instrumental in providing the spark that resulted in the eventual eradication of slavery in England. I think of Nelson Mandela, whose 27 years of suffering helped provide a spark that resulted in the liberation of South Africa from Apartheid. (I recommend his excellent biography “The Long Walk To Freedom”.)

One of my favorite Bible stories  is that of Joseph.  Loved by his father but rejected by his brothers, he was thrown in a pit and left to die. Through the providence of God, (or dumb luck, if you believe in that)  a caravan of desert wanderers found him in the pit, rescued him, and sold him to some traveling merchants who sold him as a slave to Egypt. After being thrown into prison for two years on a false accusation, he was released because of his reputation in prison as one who had wisdom and could interpret dreams.  His gift made room for him. When the Pharaoh hit the wall and need someone to interpret his dream, Joseph got his window of opportunity and he didn’t disappoint. His character so impressed Pharoah that he   promoted him to prime minister of Egypt. Poise,  perserverence, character. It only takes a spark to get a fire going.

And I think of Mother Teresa, that little woman whose spark of unconditional love for people and passion for Jesus touched all of our hearts in a way no one else could.

I could go on and on with examples. Maybe you have some you would like to include in a comment. Please do!

When the title of this blog came to me today, I was immediately reminded of the book, The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay. While I haven’t read the book (yet) I did see the movie a few years ago. What a story! I have included the trailer here:

Every young life born into this world has the power to be a world changer. And remarkably, a very high percentage of world changers come from extremely difficult backgrounds. It is a privilege to work with orphaned and abused children. Though no parents may love or claim them, they are God’s kids. And as always, He has a plan.

We should never underestimate the power of one.

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Kite Flying by the Lake

Oct 30

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They say a picture paints a thousand words. We experienced a thousand pictures this evening by the lake, which makes us memory millionaires, I guess! We took a couple of kites, hoping for some wind. Arriving about an hour before sundown, we and the kids ran like troopers back and forth, again and again, trying o get the kites to take flight. They did, a bit, but not for long. When the running stopped, the kites came down, dancing as they fell. Temporary elation devolved into frustration with each attempt.

We just about gave up. As the sun disappeared over the distant mountains and darkness settled it, we pondered leaving. Stasia said,

“Come on, John. Give it one last try.”

So I untangled the spool of string on the kite Lauren got for us (a beauty!) and trotted up the beach one last time, string in  hand, with kite trailing. To my shock I felt pressure on the string as a sudden evening breeze arrived just in time to reward our efforts. It took the kite upward so quickly that I let the spool spin on my arm unrestrained. At about 400-500 feet the string ran out, and the kite was a tiny dot in the night sky.

It felt like I was catching a fish–and reminded me of the story where Jesus came walking on the water toward Peter and his companions just as they were about to call it quits on their very unproductive day of fishing. Jesus egged Peter on:

“Come on,” he said, “give one more shot–throw the net out the other side of the boat and see what happens!”

The rest is history. We all know what happened–Peter caught so many fish it nearly sunk his boat! Just like God, isn’t it? Waits till the last minute and blows your mind, just for the fun of it!

That story has been told a million times in Sunday schools all over the world these past 2000 years. But the dynamic of that story reappears in all of our lives from time to time, reminding us just how cool God is! Tonight it happened to me—to all of us who were there!

To see the Smilebox slideshow Stasia put together to capture the moment, click here.

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Connecting the Dots

Oct 4

Posted by eaglenest in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Slide 1

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It just occurred to me this evening that life is like a big canvas and the people we come across are like dots—people in particular points in time and place who give us the opportunity to connect, to love, and to color God’s world with smidgen of His glory. Every encounter is an opportunity to love, and every situation is unique. Every pain tells its own story. Every act of kinds performs a certain kind of rescue and provides a comfort and a support that only the person on the receiving end can fully appreciate. Each act of kindness may seem isolated and insignificant at the time, but only as we begin connect the dots we can see God’s tapestry emerge—the big picture of His purpose. Each event where God grace flowed through our lives to touch another creates one pixel, and each pixel contributes to the whole picture. AWESOME!

Left alone we are trapped in a spiritual cubicle, unable to see or appreciate the big picture—the color and design of which we are only a small part. Certainly this is what Paul was getting at when he wrote:

“that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”  Ephesians 3:18

 


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Sow The Seed And Watch It Grow

Aug 21

Posted by eaglenest in Uncategorized | 24 Comments

The kingdom of God is all about sowing seeds and watching them grow. Maybe this is why Jesus  talked about seeds so much. Jesus was the SEED of Abraham, the fulfillment-in-person of God’s stated purpose to “bless all the families of the earth.”

Jesus referred to Himself, using the seed analogy, when He stated in John 12:24

“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”

The fist time I read that and the penny dropped, I realized that the death of Jesus was not simply a one time event that would be recorded in history and forgotten, but a springboard to action for millions of Christ followers who would step out and sow their lives as seeds—to “throw down” and commit to be a blessing at whatever the cost.

Think about it. A seed is is a tiny thing loaded with potential–and finds fruition only as it is sown in faith. Once that happens, God goes work and brings life out of darkness. In time what is hidden below the surface, known only to us and God, burgeons for all to see.

Jesus described this incredible kingdom phenomenon in Mark 4:26-28

“This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

I believe in these two verses we find the key to a successful mission trip to Mexico, Australia, or anywhere. Missionaries, whether long term or short term, go as harvest workers. As such, they will sow seed, they will work and water the ground, they will watch and pray, they will trust God for increase, and when the time is ripe they will harvest. That’s it. That is what missions is all about.

How to we sow seed? We can speak God’s word (proclamation),  do acts of kindness (demonstration),  plant ourselves into a community of people and ask God to shine through us (incarnation), and sow prayers in the dark,  private closet-moments as we lift those we love before God’s throne (intercession),  banking on the promise that

“the Father who sees in secret, will reward you openly.” Matt. 6:4

I once heard a remarkable analogy from a remarkable Christian missionary by the name of Danny Lehmann that I would like to pass on to you. According to Danny, every missionary is a “harvest worker” who goes out into God’s harvest field wearing a workman’s belt.On this belt is strapped a bag of seed, a trowel, a watering can, and a sickle. Each of these tools are vital to his work, but which tool is used at any given tome depends upon the stage of work at hand.

Seed sowing is the initial stage, and is of course  absolutely vital if there is going to be any life or growth at all. How people to need to hear God’s words spoken and see  His love demonstrated!

But in many cases the tool most necessary may be the watering can. How people need the refreshing water of encouragement and understanding! Perhaps the trowel is most needed, to dig deeper and open the ground up to receive the seed and the water!

Ultimately, the sickle will be used to harvest the crop. In evangelistic terms, this is generally viewed in evangelical circles as the point of “conversion,” never to be under estimated or neglected. And yet, certainly only one aspect of harvest work!  As someone who served a minister of evangelism for many years in the local church and has led mission trips to Mexico, Asia. Australia and Europe, I can say I have a strong belief in the power of a God encounter via the simple proclamation and demonstration of the gospel. But over the years I have come to appreciate the fact that conversion is process that is in motion long before the sickle is employed. Think about it: “first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head” ALL happens before the harvest! This should be a sobering parable for all missionaries—and should open up a whole new understanding to us as to what kingdom work is really all about.

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Inspiring Leadership

Aug 6

Posted by eaglenest in Leadership | 3 Comments

Our ability as leaders in any field hinges on the style of leadership we employ. Leadership that inspires and motivates, whether it be in the context of the local church,  an organization, the classroom or a mission trip to Mexico, is the elusive butterfly of success for every one of us in the position of working with people. While it is obvious that lack of leadership poses a problem, what is often overlooked is that wrong models of leadership can do more harm than good–dwarfing long term efforts and in many cases soiling the reputation of your organization.

I cannot tell you the number of people I have crossed paths with over the years who were bruised and battered by leaders they worked with. Some of these people have dropped out of ministry. Others have fallen from the faith. All of them have a story to tell of leadership that operated from a wrong model: men or women who thought they were doing the right thing but in fact were doing more harm than good.

In this article I want to focus on two contrasting styles of leadership and demonstrate how one style is detrimental while the other is radically effective. Whether you are leading a team on a mission trip to Mexico, leading a family or running a business, leadership style counts!

T R A N S A C T I O N A L    L E A D E R S H I P    M O D E L

I will start with transactional leadership. This is a model of leadership that sets out to get people motivated to do what the leader wants by employing methods that are leader-centric and , frankly, rooted in the principles of the power and coercion. (Avoiding a “power trip” while on a mission trip to Mexico is vital!)  Here are some of the marks of transactional leadership:

Old, traditional type of leadership. A point could be made that this is an “old school” leadership approach, because it is giving way, in many circles, to a new way of doing things. (I use that term advisedly, however,   because the original pattern Jesus laid out for us is NOT a transactional leadership model, and the argument could be made that “old school” is to do things Jesus’ way.)

Based on power—“a power trip.” This is a key feature of transactional style leadership. The transactional leader has one thing in mind: to get his followers to do what he wants them to do. The vision he has in his mind is the ultimate arbiter of right and wrong. And since he is the leader, it is his job to protect that vision at all costs. People he leads are either part of the solution or a part of the problem—and he approaches them accordingly. Needless to say, there are serious problems to this line of thinking. If a leader views people as pawns on a chessboard, they will begin to feel like pawns on a chessboard.

Works through coercion. The question always on the mind of the transactional leader is: “How can I get the follower to do what I want them to do to meet my goal?” And the inevitable answer always comes down to some form of manipulation or coercion. Bribes and threats come into play, though these words would never be used, of course. Which exposes another problem that arises with this style of leadership:  dishonesty and duplicity. Not good!

Leader gives direction and you are expected to follow it. On the surface, this doesn’t sound like a bad idea. After all, knowing how to follow orders is essential to teamwork, isn’t it? But what if the leader asks you to do something you know is wrong? Or what if, in asking for clarification, you are denied a hearing and told to “shut up and submit?” While the leader might have the upper hand and get her way,  at the end of the day YOU will not feel like you want to keep following this leader, which begs the question: is this person really leading?

The mission of every leader should be to multiply himself–and that is a risky, but rewarding, exercise! What often trips a leader up in the process is the erroneous assumption that if he gives his power away, he loses something. The reverse is true: power that is clung to evaporates–and power invested expands!

Factory model. This paradigm is what drives  the transactional leader. He sees himself as the owner of a factory exists with one thing in mind: to produce the end result that he envisions. Everything that happens in the factory exists to serve this leader’s vision. People are like workers in the factory who each have their part t play in producing that end result. Their work must be done in a certain way, as prescribed by the leader, and their output must be acceptable to the leader or they will risk being replaced. In return for a “job well done” the leader will give perks: money, security, recognition, a place in a society, a pat on the back, etc. Underlying everything that goes on in a transactional environment is the unspoken understanding of a contract between the leader and the “follower.”

Very  authoritarian. This style of leadership tends to be very authoritarian. Unwillingness to submit to the leader is viewed as rebellion against God. There tends to be an over-emphasis on “what the leader says.” This may sound cultic, and indeed it is at it’s root. But it is a common style of leadership that has permeated all sectors of ministry and business. Even if this style operates in a civilized. controlled way, it will not be effective in the long run because at the end of the day leadership that is based on centralized power will eventually break down.

Abundance of  Rules and Regulations. To keep a transactional model on track, there must be an abundance of rules and relations. Otherwise, how could the actions of “followers” be controlled by the leader?

Little tolerance for Diversity: A transactional leader does not tolerate diversity simply because in her mind it does not contribute to efficiency. The “my way or the highway” mentality sets in. Diversity is seen as an obstacle to success.

Strong emphasis on hierarchy: Put simply, in a transactional environment the “lower downs” are treated differently than the “higher-ups.”

Information bottle-neck: The transactional leader guards information as a tool to get what he wants from his followers.  Decisions are made by announcement, leaving the “followers” to feel out of the loop and disenfranchised.  A big emphasis on departments and compartments marks the transactional environment—and people are punished for working outside their “department.” Innovation and teamwork are squelched.

Loyalty is the Highest Virtue: A transactional leader values loyalty above all else, including truthfulness. Tests of one’s loyalty abound. To fail to comply with the leader’s wishes is perceived as disloyalty and may result in demotion or being forced to leave the group. In a transactional environment, truth-tellers feel compelled to leave. In such cases, the transactional leader “makes an example of” those who leave, and a strong appeal for loyalty is given to those who remain.

Truth-tellers are the seeing eye of any team or organization and when they leave, the organization loses its way.

T R A N S F O R M A T I O NA L   L E A D E R S H I P    M O D E L

The transformational model is all about teamwork. Team members are seen as the most valuable asset to the organization. While the leader has a vision, his idea of how that vision can be accomplished is not set in stone. Others are invited to participate and add strength and value to the team. In the transformational leader’s mind developing people on the team IS the vision. What is accomplished through the team is gravy. Here are some of the marks of transactional leadership:

Emphasis on developing people versus promoting a program: In John chapter 17 Jesus told His Father “I have completed the work you gave me to do.”  As Robert Coleman, author of  The Master Plan of Evangelism writes:  “His men were his work!”

Influence instead of Power: This is a very important distinction. Power implies force–shock and awe–to bring about a condition of obedience. Influence implies imparting an inward motivation to follow and emulate someone. The spirit that drives Christian mission is to renounce worldly power and promote godly influence! These words are worlds apart! Guess which one Jesus advocated?

Personal initiative is encouraged: To have team members who are thinking outside the box, working with others to find solutions, and coming up with new ideas is the GOAL of the transformational leader. While such activity might warrant punishment from a transactional leader, it will bring promotion and recognition in a  transformational environment.

Liberating and Empowering: Believing that there is no one way to get a job done, the transformational leader frees team members to stop out, take ownership and  and do things in a way that puts their signature on the work.

Encourages  trust at all levels: The transformational leader has a goal that each person will be fulfilled and sees every team member as having a unique set of gifts and talents that should be encouraged and developed. The more teamwork and innovation thrives, the happier the leader.

Application of principles instead of rules to follow: While rules constrain and squelch innovation, the application of principles unleashes it. Jesus, the ultimate transformational  leader, showed us in the Sermon on the Mount how principles supersede rules and regulations. “You have heard from Moses…but I say…” Principles provide inner motivation and energy to accomplish a task. When the principle is understood and applied, rules and regulations are unnecessary.

The leader is not the superior. Jesus threw down the gauntlet by say “He who is the greatest in God’s kingdom is the servant of all.” and “whoever desires to be first (chief) among you, let him be your slave–just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”(Matt. 20:27) But there is the clincher:

Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.”  (Luke 22:25-27)

In other words, the leader of the team serves the team members by providing them the opportunity to develop their skills and talents. That is the goal of transformational leadership! Other traits of transformational  leadership  are:

Accountability at all levels…

Truth telling is encouraged…

Everybody participates in the decisions…

Structure is very flexible and adaptable…

Great respect for the individual and openness toward entrepreneurs…

Always visionary in nature…

Need I write more? It is clear that transformational leadership is Biblical, inspires confidence, and in the long run will go much further in accomplishing the task before us!

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Life Is In The Journey

Aug 2

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The longer I live, the more convinced I become that life is about the journey and not the destination.  It’s about the little things that go on from day to day and week to week that put the color in story of our lives. The “marrow of life” is really, when you think of it, what happened this week, and more specifically, today. Henry David Thoreau says it well:

“I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately, I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, To put to rout all that was not life and not when I had come to die Discover that I had not lived.”

It’s true in a short term mission trip, and it’s true in life. Goals are important. Vision and purpose is the heartbeat of Christian living. But at the end of the day, God calls us to trust Him and walk with Him in the moment that is now. The greatest inroads we make in life and in mission trips are those serendipitous breakthroughs we never expected, could not have engineered, and will never forget as long as we live.

Sometimes we feel like we can’t see the forest for the trees—or that worse, we are stuck in the forest.  Yet perhaps it will be those forest encounters and stories of survival that we end up talking about the most to our grandchildren as we sit in front of the fire and no longer have the energy to do what we once did.

In a survey given to people  90 years of age or older, there was one question that asked “If you had life to live over again, what would you do differently?” The three top answers to that question were (1) I would take more risks, (2) I would reflect more on what I was doing and (3) I would give myself to something that would outlive me. It is that second answer that applies here. So often we rush forward toward the finish line in such a fixated manner that we forget to smile at the faces we see and smell the roses we find along the way.

Without a doubt, all members of the “human race” seem to be sprinting toward the finish line of life from the time we’re born until the day we die. It’s as if we fully expect to arrive, yet when the race of life is over, we all settle on the final conclusion that the search has just begun.

Getting what we want is one of life’s great achievements and also one of life’s greatest disappointments. The joy of satisfaction lasts but a moment, then we discover that it wasn’t everything we thought it would be; it was not enough to make us happy and fulfilled. We need more. And so it is, because so were we created.

Jesus touched on this in his conversation with the woman at the well when he said

“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  (John 4:13-14)

Here was a woman who had had been married 5 times and was back at it a 6th time with another man, trying to make a relationship work, trying to arrive at happiness. But inside she has a thirst for something more. Jesus knew this.

We are all like the Samaritan woman. Our thirst is never quenched in this life, and our sources all eventually dry up. But Jesus promised a source of on-going fulfillment on the inside of us “welling up to eternal life.”

The Message version reads:

“The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.” (vs 14)

Life is in the journey, not the destination. Eternal life is a never ending journey of victory after victory, joy after joy, discovery after discovery.

When I was 16 years old, I had a radical conversion to Christianity. I fell in love with Jesus. I told all of my friends I had found Jesus, I knew Jesus. When it first happened  I honestly felt it was a done deal—a one-off experience. I felt like I had arrived.  But I hadn’t. In fact, I was just getting started!

My relationship with Jesus  continued in the many years that followed, and I can say, looking over my life, that I have discovered Jesus again and again. And again.

Knowing Jesus isn’t a one-off. It’s an on-going experience. In fact, I am convinced there is so much of him to be known and experienced, that we will never stop discovering new and wondrous things about him.

“…that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2:7)

The Apostle Paul summed up his goal in life as he wrote from prison:

“Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  (Phil. 3:13-14)

We do press toward the goal, and that is a good thing. As Victor Frankl pointed out in his landmark book “Man’s Search For Meaning,”  we all need  a goal greater than ourselves, something worthy of our highest commitment. He asserted what the 90 year old respondents concluded: we all need to give ourselves to something greater than ourselves, something that will outlive us.

We will ever arrive? I don’t think so. In the ages to come there will be more adventures, more mountains to climb, more joys to experience, and more dreams to build. Which is why I am thrilled that life, indeed, is about the journey!

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Mission Trips Bring Lasting Change…A True Story

Jul 28

Posted by eaglenest in Uncategorized | 22 Comments

Short term mission teams who come to Mexico can produce long term results, serving as a catalyst for local ministry. Here is living proof…

Our beloved ministry partners are Raul and Anabel Frutos, pastors of the non-denominational Church of the Holy Spirit in Chapala. Over the years we hosted teams with Eagle Nest working hand in hand with them in the ministry.

Nine years ago, we stood with Anabel on a dusty road in Tepehua, and formed a large circle of prayer with one of our Eagle Nest teams and asked God to do something significant in the neighborhood, which was then and is now one of the neediest barrios in the area. Within a few months the Frutos’ acquired a humble building in the heart of Tepehua and launched the “Love In Action” center (LiA) and began serving hot breakfasts and conducting practical skills workshops for the single mothers and children in the area. The ministry thrived. The breakfast grew into a daycare. The daycare became and orphanage then the Mexican government started sending orphaned and abused children to LiA for love and shelter. The ministry demands outgrew the size of the facility. One day a Jewish man walked up to Ana and offered to fund an expansion and renovation project that would make it possible to house up to 60 orphans at once. What was a began as a one level pottery shack  became a fully contained two story home for 60 needy children!

In January of last year a HUGE piece of property in a nicer section of town was offered to Love In Action— so the orphanage moved—-furniture and all— and left the Tepehua Center vacant. But not for long. Today  we are conducting a stage two renovation of the original facility and once this task is complete we will be opening its doors as a community center that will serve single mothers, house abused and orphaned children, and provide a springboard for more short term teams who come to serve the Chapala community!

Please pray with us that God will continue to water and nourish this vision and that the LiA Tepehua Center will be a light a shining in a dark place,and a catalyst for yet more ministries to come!

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