Why We Are Here

The Blisses, still in Bulgaria.

Today is the 5^th anniversary of the ReachGlobal Sofia City Team.  Exactly half a decade ago my family and I moved to Bulgaria.  Today, I am going to write about why.

There are so many things to work for in this world.  Some strive for a political ideology.  Some seek fame.  Some seek to build an empire.  Some want adventure.  Most merely desire the comfort and security of a simple of life.  None of these are my goal because none of them will last.

Politics are important.  They shape the world.  They determine whether we will live in freedom or in servitude.  Yet every nation at some point will cease to exist.  No country lasts forever.

Fame is nice.  It makes us feel loved.  Yet even those who have it seem to be found wanting more, and eventually all fame evaporates.  How many of us can name even one actor from the Globe Theater, or more than a handful of movie stars from the early 20^th century.  Eventually every famous person will be forgotten.

Building an empire may seem important.  We can leave a legacy to our greatness by starting a big business.  We can change the world with our power and position.  Yet no matter how much we strive, everything we build will some day turn to dust.

Adventure is great!  I love adventures.  Yet the thrill of summiting a mountain in Europe or fishing for swordfish off the coast of Central America or chasing a tribe of monkeys through the jungle in the Congo does not last.  Adventures make for good memories, that’s all.

Comfort is one of the most alluring things on this planet.  It is the thing that most of us settle for in life.  Just give us a soft couch and a TV to watch our favorite programs and we will spend our lives drinking and eating until eventually that is all we know.  And then some day our life will be over.

Whatever we chase on this planet, it will pass.  Yet the people who chase them will not.

As a Christian, I believe in the eternity of the human soul.  This means that everyone who has ever existed from the creation of the world until now still exists.  This also means that every person I come in contact with will exist forever in a radically different form then they are now.  This is something I take very seriously.

C. S. Lewis perhaps said it best:

“It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree helping each other to one or the other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all of our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.”  (The Weight of Glory)

Think about that for a moment.  The pharmacist across the street shoveling the snow off of the sidewalk, the Gypsy guy who drives his horse and buggy around the neighborhood collecting treasures from dumpsters, the woman who nearly ran into me at the stop light last week, none of these people are ordinary.  All of them will exist forever.

When we see people for whom they really are, the world seems to fade away.  Fame, power, adventure, and comfort all seem meaningless.  Even health, freedom, and life seem like secondary goals.  Most of what we consider important is merely a temporal entity.  Only people are eternal.

Not only are we all eternal, as Christians we are in possession of vital information that can affect everyone’s eternal destiny.  It is the message of God’s grace given to us through Jesus.  We need this free gift of salvation.  Without it, every one of us eternal people will get exactly what we deserve.

With that in mind, how could I spend my life chasing after something that will not last?  What kind of a fool would I be if I clung to that which I cannot keep while giving up that which can never be lost?  I have no control over people accepting this great salvation.  But I do have control over whether or not I tell them about it.

Thus, I gave myself to God’s will and sought His guidance as to where to serve Him best.  He led me to the county of Bulgaria, to the city of Sofia, to the neighborhood of Lozenets.  Here I will stay, until He leads me elsewhere.

Not Why We Are Here

Sunday January 17^th is the 5^th anniversary of the day we landed in Bulgaria to found the ReachGlobal Sofia City Team.  On Sunday I hope to post a blog about what made us move to Bulgaria and serve in full-time ministry.  Today however, I’m going to post a prologue giving you reasons that had nothing to do with our decision to serve in ministry.  These are the common misconceptions of the ministry worker.

A picture from our home town of Sofia.

Misconception 1: We couldn’t cut it in the work force

Someone once asked my what lucrative career I gave up to serve in ministry.  I responded, “All of them.”  Not to toot my own horn, but I’m of above average intelligence and physically stronger than most.  I could have gone down any number of career paths.  Lawyer, restaurant owner, teacher, water heater installer, mechanic, and countless other professions were available to me.

And not just to me.  Sasha is one of the smartest people I know.  She is fluent in four extant languages and has a degree in an ancient dialect of Greek (she graduated with highest honors).  At the same time, she is a kind and compassionate person.  There is very little that she would not be good at.

Yet with all the choices laid out before us, we both decided to go into ministry where the pay is much less than most other professions.

Misconception 2: We have some hidden agenda

I have heard it said that religious workers all have some secret agenda to attempt to control the lives of other people.  This may be true of some people engaged in spiritual work.  There are undoubtedly people out there who use spiritual beliefs and superstitions to control the lives of others.  Yet we are not among them.

There are people out there who promise wealth if only you buy their magic talisman.  There are people who promise an eternity of sexual relations with young virgins if only you blow yourself up.  There are people who promise health and prosperity if only you send it $19.95 for their magic washcloth that they blessed by praying for it.  There are all kinds of scams that people come up with by promising that the spirit world will bend to your will if only you do the thing they want you to do.

As ministers of the gospel, we offer a message of salvation through Jesus.  This salvation is a free gift.  We do not charge for it or demand certain behaviors.  In fact, we don’t even give the gift out.  It comes from Jesus alone.  All you have to do is accept it.  We get nothing from you, and we don’t force it upon you.  If you don’t want to accept God’s gift of salvation, you are not required to do so.  No one is required to know God.  Though we dearly hope that all do.

Misconception 3: We are seeking personal gain.

There are undoubtedly many people out there who do ministry for some sort of political purpose or to attain some sort of status.  We see men and women calling themselves “reverend” on TV all the time building their own personal brands.  There are commercial pastors and ministry directors who seek to make money off of books they write or seminars they give.  There are even low-level versions of such creatures who may creep into your local church.  You can easily spot such people because they are more interested in what they can gain from you than in what they can invest in you.

Of course, I could tell you that we are not such people, but any of them would say the same thing.  They would tell you that they are just doing what they do with nothing but good intentions.  Many books, seminars, and broadcasts are indeed done for good reasons.  How are you to know that we are not such people?

In our defense on this point I will merely point to the evidence of our ministry.  We live in the corner of Europe in one of the poorest countries on the continent.  We have no teammates, and most people have never heard of us.  If we were in this for personal gain, then we have done a terrible job of gaining anything.

Now that you know why we are not here, the stage has been set for us to tell you why we are here.

Check back soon to find out why.

Tidings of Comfort and Joy

If you are like me, certain images come to mind when you hear the word "Christmas."  For many Americans, the idea of Christmas brings up images of time with family.  Perhaps you envision logs burning in a fireplace with stockings hung around.  Perhaps you imagine a turkey dinner and presents.  My Bulgarian neighbors probably think of a meatless meal with an odd number of dishes including stuffed peppers, a fruit drink, and a loaf of bread with a coin hidden in it.  My Polish friends might think of a meal with delicious fish.  I always imagined those in Australia associating Christmas with a warm summer’s day.  Regardless of where you are from, the idea of Christmas often brings up thoughts of comfort and joy.

Yet, when I think about what Christmas really represents it seems strange that Christmas and comfort are nearly synonyms.  Jesus left His heavenly dwelling to be born in a barn surrounded by stench and discomfort.  He entered enemy territory in a way that left Him totally vulnerable, and from a very early age there were people who sought to murder Him.

When I think about the last century, the closest event I can find to equate with the first Christmas is D-Day.  The Allied troops stormed into enemy territory to rescue Europe from an evil socialist dictator.  They did so knowing full well that many of them would die.  They knew that they were vulnerable with ever step they took along those sandy beaches, yet they fought and died anyway, and the world was changed for the better by their sacrifice.

Jesus entered enemy territory and faced death to save us.  He endured much discomfort, great sorrow, unbearable pain, and death.  This was the ultimate mission in a war, not day of comfort and joy.  It was the beginning of a hard fought victory of light over darkness.

His victory is what allows us to celebrate in comfort and joy.  Because of what He did for us, we have absolute assurance of our salvation.  There is no greater comfort and joy than knowing that we have been made right with God.

I am immensely grateful for what Jesus did for me.  When I enjoy this comfortable and joyful season with my family here in Bulgaria, I will remember the source of an even greater comfort and joy.  And I will rejoice.

Are You Thirsty?

There is a well-known dialogue between Jesus and the so called “woman at the well.”  It took place when Jesus took a trip through Samaria, stopped at a well, and asked a woman to give Him water.

Water of Life Discourse by Angelika Kauffmann

The woman questioned why Jesus would ask her for water.  Jesus responded by saying that if she knew who she was talking too, she would ask Him for a drink because the “water” Jesus offers keeps us from ever thirsting again.

The proposal of perpetual hydration sounded good to the woman, so she asked Jesus to give her some of this magical liquid.

At this point Jesus takes what seems like a wild left turn.  He asks the woman to go get her husband.  Jesus knew that she was not married.  It appears He was trying to bring up the fact that the woman had been through five husbands and was now living with a man she was not married to.

Why did Jesus move from the metaphor of living water to talk about the woman’s sex life?

I think it was to show the woman that she was drinking the wrong water.  The woman was trying to quench her spiritual thirst through men.  Her quest for spiritual fulfillment had not worked.  She tried husband one.  He did not quench her thirst.  Husband two also failed.  Three, four, and five all did not seem to meet her spiritual need.  Now she was trying a boyfriend, yet her thirst remained.

The woman is not alone.  All of us have the tendency to search for something to quench our thirst.  Some, like the woman, drink from the well of relationships.  Others drink from the well of money or power.  Others drink from the well of prestige and reputation.  Pleasure, knowledge, adventure, there are countless other wells we try to quench our thirst.  Yet there is only one source of living water, and the woman at the well was talking to Him.

A simple trip around the internet can reveal several poisoned wells from which we drink.  It is not difficult to find pornographic sites.  There are even sites devoted to cheating on your spouse.  Extra-marital sex remains a popular poisoned well.

There are sites for gambling and sites to promote tricks for quick financial gain.  Money is a big poisoned well.

Then there is social media.  We post selfies showing our adventures so that everyone knows how amazing our lives are, and we drink from the well of prestige.  We argue about how superior our political opinions are, and we drink from the well of arrogance and pride.  We post complaints about how we are unsatisfied with the latest products or services at a local business, and we drink from the well of anger and selfishness.

Yet nothing satisfies.  As C. S. Lewis wrote, “I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”

The source of living water is available to us all.  Jesus has invited us to come and find what we really need, a relationship with God.  That is the only well that will satisfy, because it is the only well that provides the “living water” our souls crave.  All other wells will only provide temporary relief.  Our thirst will keep returning.

Access to the well is available through Jesus.  Are you thirsty?  Then drink up!

Are We Like Jonah?

Jonah Preaching to the Ninevites by Gustav Dore

One of the most fascinating books of the Bible is the book of Jonah.  For those of you who are not familiar with it, I will give you a brief synopsis.

Jonah was a man called by God to go to the capital of the Assyria; to a city called Nineveh.  His message was simple.  Nineveh was to repent or be destroyed.

Jonah did not want to go, so he boarded a ship to Tarshish which was in modern day Spain.  (At the time, this was about as far away from Nineveh as people could get.)  Some think that Jonah ran from Nineveh because he feared death at the hands of the evil people there, but we will soon see that this was not the case.

God sent a storm to trouble the ship and get Jonah’s attention.  When the sailors feared for their lives, Jonah confessed that he was fleeing from God’s call and that the storm was because of him.  However rather than requesting that they turn the ship around, he asked to be thrown into the sea.  He would rather have died than go to Nineveh.

The sailors oblige the reluctant profit and throw him in the sea where Jonah is promptly swallowed by a giant fish.  (Sadly, this is the point of the story that gets the most attention.  The point of the story is not giant fish and the miraculous properties of their amazing stomachs.)

Jonah still does not want to go to Nineveh, and probably hopes he will die.  Yet he survives for days in the belly of the fish.  After three days and nights, he finally repents and calls out to God.  God hears his call and has the fish spit him out on dry land.  (Note that it took three days in a fish belly for Jonah to repent.  He really did not want to go to Nineveh.)

Jonah finally goes to Nineveh and delivers God’s message.  He then experiences what was likely the greatest missionary success in the history of the world.  The entire city repented and turned from their evil ways!  God spared the city, and everyone was saved!

Jonah was not happy.  You see, the real reason he did not want go to Nineveh was that he wanted the city to be destroyed.  He knew God was merciful and loving, and he did not want his enemies to taste the goodness of God.   The story ends with Jonah upset at God for destroying a vine that gave him shade while showing no regard for the people of Nineveh.

The ministry was a success, but the minister was far from God.

Modern Jonahs

Assyria no longer exists.  It has been replaced by several smaller countries including one with a similar name—Syria.  This is the same Syria from which thousands of refugees are now fleeing.  We as Christians have a great opportunity to show them God’s love.  Yet sadly, love is not the response many of them are finding as they flee for their lives.

Some here in the West fear that the refugee crisis is a cover for an attack from terrorists.  Others fear that this is all a Muslim plot to change western culture.  Many excuses are made for not helping.  Yet excuses reveal apathy, not truth.

It is entirely possible that by showing God’s love to refugees, that they will come to know the love of God that we have found in Jesus.  At the very least we could comfort them in their time of trouble.  But perhaps we don’t want this to happen.  Perhaps we don't want them to be comforted.  Perhaps we don’t want them to be saved.

Is it possible that we will not help because we fear success?  Could it be that we, like Jonah, don’t want God to show mercy?

Refugees in Europe

Syrian refugees (picture from Wikipedia)

The refugee situation in Europe has frequently made international news over the past few months as Muslims fleeing the terror of ISIS have flooded into Hungary, Germany, and Austria.  Yet, despite the recent increase in news reports, the refugee flood actually began long before ISIS became a household name.

Over two years ago, Syrians fled into Europe trying to escape the civil war in their country.  Tens of thousands of refugees came to Europe seeking our help.  They came to Bulgaria, Greece, and Italy, among other countries.  I am sad to say that throughout Europe, they have been met with a mixed welcome.

Some view the refugees as a threat.  They think that perhaps ISIS militants will take advantage of the refugee crisis and sneak into western countries to do evil things.  Some view the refugees as a strain on the available resources of the countries they are entering.  Some see them as doctors, shop keepers, businessmen, teachers, and farmers who have had to flee for their lives and have suffered greatly at the hands of evil men and women.

What should the Christian response be to such a complex situation?  The Biblical answer is quite clear.  Many times, throughout the Bible, God's people were commanded to look after foreigners.  Among such passages are Leviticus 19:35, Deuteronomy 10:1, Deuteronomy 27:19, Zachariah 7:10, and Jeremiah 7:6.

It may be a complex situation, but the Christian's response is not.  We are to help those in need.  When the refugees come to our country, we are to help them.


Now there may be a few objections at this point, so I will address them:

Objection 1:  What if there are sleeper terrorists embedded with the refugees?  We have to keep these people out.

Response:  Yes we should try to keep terrorists out of our countries.  However, that it not the job of the Christian.  That is the job of government agencies.  We are to help the refugees.  That is our command.

Is it possible that some day someone you helped may try to hurt you?  Absolutely.  In fact, if you are truly following Christ, trouble is not just a possibility, it is a promise (John 15:20).  Does this change our command to help those in need?  No it does not.

Objection 2:  What about national resources?  We can't help everyone.

Response:  That is right, we cannot.  Yet, have we really reached that point?  Western countries still have ample resources to help those in need.

However, let's say it gets to the point where the refugees come to your country and find your country is not able to help them anymore because they lack the funding.  What will happen?  The answer is that they will go around your country to a place where they can be helped.

How do I know this?  Because this is what has happened in Bulgaria.

Two years ago, refugees entered Bulgaria in the thousands.  It did not take long for everyone to realize that we were ill-equipped to help them.  Then they started going around Bulgaria through the former Yugoslav countries into Hungary and eventually into Germany and Austria.

We all have limited resources.  Yet we also have a choice as to what to do with those resources.  Wouldn't you rather use them to help those in need?  Isn't it better to use what we have in obedience to God?

The Biblical response to any refugee situation is simple.  We help them.