No Shadow of Turning: The Transformative Power of Personal Confession in Teams

A couple of weeks ago, I shared that our DML Global team gathers three days a week for prayer, following the ACTS format (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication). In those sessions, I discovered a profound aspect of our team dynamics: the power of personal confession.

While prayer sessions typically involve acknowledging our collective shortcomings, we've found that confessing our own sins, individually, has been remarkably transformative. It's a vulnerable experience, looking in the mirror before our colleagues. Doing it once a week is one thing, but engaging in this practice three days a week has allowed us to truly understand one another. We've become familiar with each other's persistent struggles, or as we refer to them, our "thorns in the flesh."

During one of these confession sessions, I had an enlightening moment. I realized that we were often confessing our own "shadow." What does that mean exactly? Let me explain.

I believe every person is endowed with unique gifts and talents that, when combined with their network, culture, and community, create a distinctive contribution to the world. However, I also believe that every gift has a shadow—a potential for both light and darkness.

For instance, my strong inclination towards organization is a gift, but when it's projected onto others or interferes with other values, it starts casting a shadow. This, I believe, is true for most, if not all, gifts. How many of us have experienced a trait we once loved in someone becoming a source of frustration?

My revelation was realizing that the confessions I was hearing were part of the gifting in that person—a dimension I value. For example, a passionate team member often confessed struggles with anger, which is understandable given their passionate nature. Another person, appreciated for their logical approach to life, confessed a lack of sensitivity to their loved ones—a trait expected from someone with a cerebral approach.

The profound realization was that the more I get caught up in my gifting, the longer that shadow becomes. However, when Christ is central in my life, directly overhead, there is no shadow. I use my gift for Him, read the room, and recognize the place of my gift in relation to others.

My goal is to have no shadow, keeping my eyes focused on Him and not on myself. This brings us back to the hymn, "Great is Thy Faithfulness," acknowledging that "there is no shadow of turning with thee; Thou changest not; thy compassions, they fail not; as thou hast been, thou forever will be."

Steady.

No shadow of turning.

Faithful.

God overhead.

My talent/gifting for His glory.

May God help me!

Christian Businesswomen and Sustainability

Last fall, I was invited to contribute a chapter to a book relating to women and sustainability.  I was given some freedom regarding the direction of the chapter, and I elected to write on impact of Christian women on global sustainability.  There was some pushback on this topic as most people have an idea that there should be a separation between faith and these topics.  But I like to argue the opposite.  We need to see faith not simply as proselytizing but as a lifestyle.  We need to re-embrace or redefine how we see religion - not something to shy away from in fear, but a lifestyle of values and behaviors that generally contribute to the flourishing of the world.  

This is true across most religions, but since Christianity is the largest social demographic in the world, the importance of the contribution of flourishing through Christians should not be overlooked.  In fact, it should be celebrated and promoted, by both believers and non-believers.

In the chapter, there are a number of facts shared, including that 85% of the world's eight billion people identify with a religion; of that number, 2.38 billion are Christian, 1.91 billion are Muslim, and the next largest religions are Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and then others.  

Also, women tend to be more religious than men, often by wide margins.  For Christianity, 51.6% are women.  This translates to a number of 1,228,080,000 Christian women in the world.  This is not a small number!

Having established that, we now look at women and their influence/contribution to business/economics/workforce.

As it relates to business, nearly one in three entrepreneurs are women and women are more likely to be solopreneurs (1.47 women solopreneurs for every man).  Women make up 43% of the global agricultural work force, with that number rising to 60% in parts of Asia and Africa.  Women are more likely to offer innovative new products and services in lower and middle-income countries.  

Women also tend to consider social and environmental sustainability more than men and prioritize sustainability over economic goals.  This usually means increased flourishing of employees and the flourishing of the creation.  (For references to these statistics, send me an email and I'll be happy to send them to you!)

So what does this mean?  We need to be encouraging Christian women in business. We need to help equip and empower them for the flourishing of creation, employees, individuals, communities, and families!  Let's not leave them out of the mix!  Let's not overlook the contribution of Christian women in the flourishing of this world through business.  God is a working God and is the God of business, as can be seen throughout Scripture.  The gifts of our faith reach beyond the building to the public square.

The church, when gathered, can and should equip the church, when scattered, to do business to the glory of God. 

As Gerd Miller, the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, writes,

Religion plays an integral part in all societies and is the most important source of values for many people.  Any development policy that respects people as individuals must also respect their individual world views.  For most people, this world view is fundamentally shaped by their religion.

 Author Edward Brown, in his book, Our Father’s World, says,

“Whatever the source of the problem is, religion has to be part of the solution…My conviction about the role of the church in this [environmental] crisis comes from a belief that environmental problems are sin problems. We have a spiritual problem, and we need a spiritual solution. Solving spiritual problems is what the church is all about, and that’s what we can bring to the table in this crisis. (Brown, 2018, p. 18)

Losing the right to say, "It's okay!"

In late December, while taking our two five-month-old puppies for a walk, a German Shepherd in a back yard a house a few blocks away, scaled the six-foot chain link fence and attacked us.  Thankfully there were no physical injuries, but there are some emotional injuries that will take some time to heal.  The response of the alpha puppy, Pepper (right in the picture), is very different than the more emotional puppy, Ginger.  Pepper, we believe, has fully bounced back, while Ginger shows more fear.  (As for me?  Well, let's just say I'm not walking by that house again! Oh, and my son Noah quickly bought me pepper spray to put on the leash should it ever happen again.)

Since that time, when I walk them and they show some fear at the loud snowplow or a big dog barking, I do what I normally do, which is to say, "It's okay. You're okay."  Recently when I say those words, I see Ginger glance back at me, as if to say, "You've said that before and it wasn't!"  Now, her response may be my imagination, but as soon as my reassuring words leave my mouth, I'm very quickly aware they might sound hypocritical.  I wasn't able to protect them that day and it wasn't okay.  

And feeling brings me back to a much more significant time in my life where I also lost the right to say, "It's okay," or "It'll be okay."  That time, of course, is when my husband Bob died, thirteen years ago. I lost the right to say that to my children. And ever since then, whenever I have left on any international trip, especially to some more risky countries, and I want to reassure anyone, especially my children, I always have to stop myself from saying, "It'll be okay." 

Of course, I know that I was not responsible for either of these events.  But protecting and comforting those we love is instinctual.  It's how we were made, especially for those whom we are primarily responsible.  

And so daily, again, I'm reminded of my inability to guarantee safety and security.

As I've been processing that, I realize that this is the case for millions of parents/caretakers around the world, who are exposed to much worse.  How threatening, scary, and humbling it is to not be able to say those words.  But those living in war zones, in conflict, in poverty, dealing with racism, sexism, and so much more are also unable to promise that "it'll be okay."  Bad things happen. 

Letting go of control with loved ones is something we all go through.   It increases my faith in God, reminding myself that He does not have grandchildren, only children.  And the same instinct we have to love and protect our children comes from God, who does the same.  

He doesn't do it in the same way as us, as His perspective and long-view are much broader, but that He loves us is undisputable as seen in the gift of His own son, who endured mocking, bullying, torture, and ultimately a terrible public death.  

In the end, it was more than okay.  

PS - In case you are wondering, the dogs are from a shelter, and are half Red Heeler (Australian cattle dogs), 1/4 doodle, and 1/4 something else.

PPS - I didn't really want puppies.  I feel like there is enough to do in this world without taking care of the daily need of dogs.  But the dogs are what I call my "DML tax."  In order for my generous husband to allow me to travel as much as he does, he needs company for those long months when I am gone.  So in some ways, these are DML dogs!  

Fearfully Adorable

Our DML Global team continues to meet for prayer every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for one hour each day.  We spend the first thirty minutes going through ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication), and the next thirty minutes going through a text and how it applies to us personally, to our local ministries, and to the global church or DML Global.

We have grown in love and in community by using this format, which began when COVID broke out in March 2020.  We are going on four years now with this!  And not only have we grown in intimacy as a team, but I have learned so much from my brothers and sisters in Christ.

Recently, Pastor Theo Pare from Burkina Faso was leading our prayers and he thanked God for being "fearfully adorable."  Now, a few months earlier, Pastor Rogers Fovo from Tanzania had described God as "adorable" during our adoration time.  I remember smiling at that word, as my image of "adorable" is a baby...a stuffed animal...a little puppy.  To describe God in this way, seemed funny to me.  But then I remembered that we are giving adoration to God...so of course He must be adorable!  And so I began to embrace that my definition for adorable had been narrowed by my culture, but it is much bigger and can be used for God!

And then I heard God described as "fearfully adorable."  Sounds like an oxymoron to me.  It does not sound like two words that belong together!  

Yet how appropriate.  These two words display the incredible complexity of who God is, so far beyond our understanding.  He is a God who is worthy of our awe, reverence, and even fear in light of His majesty.  Yet at the same time, He is a God completely deserving of our adoration.  

He is:

• a God who is a God of justice BUT also merciful. 
• a God who never slumbers or sleeps.
• a God who knows us by name, pursues us, and desires for us to participate with Him in His work, DESPITE our daily failings. 
• a God who oversees universes AND also atoms.

And I could go on and on.

God is fearfully adorable.  And I desire to both fear Him (with reverence) and adore Him.