On the Frontline

We hear the term "on the frontline" a lot more these days.  In the past, it was often used only in reference to military positions.  Those on the frontline were those leading the charge, those facing actual conflict or struggle.

But today, we hear about frontline workers in the health sector, especially those working with COVID-19 patients.  We hear about frontline workers in the social work field, working with those struggling with the effects of racial tension, drug/alcohol abuse, and more.

But as ambassadors of the Most High God, all of us are on the frontline, especially in our places of work.  It is where we bring light into darkness.  It is where we work for the flourishing of individuals and communities. It is on the frontline that we are to bring the fragrance of Christ (2 Corinthians 2:14-15).

The frontline is a place that is the least protected from criticism or attack.  It is a place of vulnerability.

Therefore, it is a place where we need strategies and direction.  It is a place where we learn to worship God through our work so that He receives the glory and people flourish.  

It also needs to be a place of faithfulness.  

But what does this look like on the frontline?

At DML, we define faithfulness as following God's three great directives:  the Great Commitment (Gen. 1:28, 2:15), the Great Commandment, and the Great Commission.  We spell that out by saying that no matter where we work, every Christian needs to have an economic, environmental, social, and missional bottom line.  These four goals will result in flourishing as well as glory to our God.

Most of the time we think about faithfulness in terms of explicit opportunities through witnessing or talking about God.  But faithfulness also needs to be present in how we do our work:

• Do I do it with excellence?  To the best of my ability?
• Do I strive to get better at whatever it is I have the opportunity to do?  Is there a goal of continuous improvement?
• How do I use my time while at work?  With integrity?  
• How do I preach the gospel through my actions (not my words)?  
• Who is God calling me to love at my place of work?  That difficult colleague or customer?
• 
  Am I being a disciple at work?  Is there an area of my work where I am not representing God well?
• Who might God be calling me to disciple?  How can I begin to pray for that person?
• Am I working for the Lord and not for man?  Meaning, regardless of what I think of my boss, or the place where I work, I strive to do it with excellence because ultimately I am working for the Lord and the flourishing of His people?

For some people, the only gospel they will ever see is how we act when on the frontlines.   

Wherever your frontlines may be (and we have them at home, church, and in our communities in addition to our work), receive this blessing:

Now go, Church.
Leave here.
Go in the name and in the power of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Go and extend your worship into your work.
Go and extend Christ’s service into your service.
Take the grace that you've received at this table and extend it to all for whom you care.
Remember the hospitality you found here.
Offer it to others tomorrow.
Go and work.
Honor the one who is working on you.
Do so by making beautiful things, by serving in beautiful ways, by speaking up for the weak whose beauty is being maligned, by filling the city with the aroma of good and beautiful work.
Reflect the beautiful work of your Heavenly Father, nourished now by the grace and mercy of Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
God has already accomplished the great work.
God goes before you and behind you.
God works at your side.

(Taken from Work and Worship, Kaemingk and Willson, page 140)

And now on to Liberia...

Last week was spent in Liberia, both in Monrovia and Kakata.  We are working with the Harvest Intercontinental Ministries, whose churches are spread throughout the country of Liberia, as well as six continents around the world.  They had their annual conference this past week and the presiding bishop from the US, along with a number of other bishops, gathered in Liberia for meetings.  

The presiding bishop, Dr. Darlingston G. Johnson, wrote a book in 2008 called Anointed for the Marketplace.  Reading that book was like reading our own writings for Discipling Marketplace Leaders.  I continue to marvel at how God calls together His people who are like-minded and passionate in similar areas -  it has been this way since we started this ministry.  It shouldn't be a surprise to me, as it is how we were created to be.  It is a joy to meet like-minded Christian leaders.  In our meeting, the Bishop said that he has been passionate about this for years but has not had the tools to move it forward in the church.  It is a great joy to join them on this journey.

The person assigned to DML for the Harvest Intercontinental Ministries in Liberia is Dr. Jacob Meiporkoyah as well as Pastor Lisa Travis.  The two of them make a powerful team and we already have trained the regional leaders for the church.  We look forward to see what God is going to do in the next year!  I was privileged to preach in Dr. Jacob's church last week Sunday, and to do a radio interview with Pastor Lisa as well (see pictures below).  

I also had the joy to see "Baby Renita" again, who is no longer a baby by any means!  If you don't remember the story, her mom, Patience, was 16 when she had Renita and we had the privilege of taking care of Baby Renita for the first year of her life during our last year in Liberia.  Renita is now 12 years old and is a bright and beautiful young lady!  

I am thankful to God for what He is doing in and through His church in Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, and Liberia.  I'm also thankful for the safe travel from place to place, a safe return home, and thankful for the prayers that were lifted on behalf of this work.  Blessings!

Patience, her fiancé Amos, their daughter Renita, and son Amos.  A lovely family and a wedding planned for this December!

Baby Renita and Renita in 2008

Renita and Renita in 2021

Dr. Jacob (right), the DML leader for HIM in Liberia, Pastor Moses (middle), who is also helping with DML, and myself.

Pastor Lisa Travis, interviewing me for their radio program, "Harvesting the Marketplace."

The first batch of DML trainers certificated in Liberia!

Crazy for Cassava, Manic for Manioc, and Yums for Yuca!

Cassava, manioc, and yuca are different names for the same starchy tuber that grows in different parts of the world.  The French call it "manioc" (in Burkina Faso and Cote d'Ivoire) and the English call it "cassava" (Liberia).  

But no matter what it is called, I love the way it is prepared in a very special community called Ira, Cote d'Ivoire.  We had such a treat this past week, following our conference, to drive about three hours west of Abidjan to an area very rich in rubber trees, palm oil plantations, and cassava farms.  We drove deep into a community where hundreds of women work twelve hours a day, seven hours a week (that's right - you heard me...no day off...ever) to process cassava.

Most women spend their days doing what the woman in the video below is doing - peeling cassava.  I had to peel potatoes once a day growing up - for about fifteen minutes.  I can't imagine doing this twelve hours a day, every day.  From there, the cassava is soaked, washed, then ground up and dried.  Some of it goes into what is called "attieke" which is almost like couscous, and other is made into a flour for "gari" which is like a cream of wheat.  

The good news is that they have more demand than they can currently meet, both locally and for nearby countries.  The bad news is that they have only one machine that grinds up the cassava, and therefore that machine is being worked 24 hours, seven days a week.  We have been asked to help with a loan for some additional machines to provide for some more efficiency (and maybe a day off for the women!).

But it is fascinating to drive into this community, off the main road, where they have developed their own economy with churches, schools, shops, to support the work of processing cassava.  These women are super hard working and I admire them!

Thirty members of this community were sent to Abidjan to attend our workshop, including some of the owners of these businesses and three pastors of three local churches.  All of them are saying "Yes" and "Amen" to the message that work can be done as an act of worship, and that we are to be the church every day of the week in all that we do.  They said they will start teaching that this Sunday!  We are excited to partner with them, to take them through the business training, and then see how these businesses can increase their productivity to help even more people flourish!

Please enjoy the pictures and the very brief video of the women peeling cassava below, although this media can't capture the amazing work!

Pressing the moisture out of the cassava.

The tireless machine which grinds the cassava, and the women who wait for hours to use it.

For those who don't wait, the sifting is done by hand.

I am now in Liberia where we are working with the Harvest Intercontinental Ministries and will be leaving for home at the end of this week.  God has been good and we are thankful!

Burkina Faso, Business, and Church

Thursday, May 13, was the last day of Ramadan, Eid-el-Fitr, which means "the festival of breaking the fast."  This is the last day of a thirty day fast, and is a big holiday in the Muslim calendar. About 63% of the population of Burkina Faso is Muslim, 22% Christian, and so one would expect to see about 63% of the shops closed and 63% less traffic on the streets.

However, in driving through Ouagadougou (the capital of Burkina Faso) for our workshop, almost 100% of the businesses were closed.  

We had been told since we started working in Burkina Faso that Christians do not do business, but it became very obvious that day.  Christians view business as secular.  Business is worldly.  During our workshop, pastors told us that members are afraid of becoming rich because they believe they won't get into heaven.  They reminded us that Jesus whipped those selling in the temple, therefore business must be evil (this story is MUCH more complex than that!).  

While poverty has decreased in total percentages globally, mostly because of business development in China and India, it has actually increased in Sub-Saharan Africa.  The per capita income in Burkina Faso is $600 USD.  Believing that business is evil doesn't help move a country toward poverty alleviation.

Discipling Marketplace Leaders is working with the Assemblies of God in Burkina Faso.  They have 6000 churches and over a million members.  They are divided into 72 regions throughout the country, and each region sent three representatives to our training.  We had more than 300 pastors and church leaders present and they all said "yes" to this ministry by the end of our training.  

DML is also working with the Christian Missionary Alliance in Burkina Faso.  They have 1000 churches throughout the country, and they called together a workshop with several other denominational leaders present as well.  This is so important!  For a denomination to recognize that we need to work together to reclaim the redeemed marketplace for Christ is critical.  Workplace discipleship needs to be across many churches if we are going to see transformation!  As a result, the Apostolic Church with 250 churches and 100,000 members has said yes to the DML ministry and said they are going to get started this Sunday!  

We are so excited to have three denominations say yes to having workplace discipleship ministries in their churches in Burkina Faso!

But our teams here are not stopping within their borders!

The DML team in the Christian Missionary Alliance has also been teaching pastors in Gabon, and is training them to be trainers!

The DML team with the Assemblies of God in Burkina Faso has arranged for many denominational leaders to gather in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire and we are having a workshop with them on Monday and Tuesday.

So from the Ghana DML team came the link to Burkina Faso.  From Burkina Faso, to Cote d'Ivoire and Gabon.  And so it goes.  We thank God for open doors and for people recognizing that this is a forgotten Biblical truth!  

And we trust that He will continue to call and equip His people to have His will done on earth as it is in heaven! Thank you for your continued prayers!  (And yes, I did receive my bags so thank you for those prayers as well!)

One more thing - on of our DML team members in Burkina Faso, Ismael Illa, married his beautiful bride Tabitha on Saturday and we were privileged to attend!  It is so beautiful to see weddings in other cultures - there were many things that they did which I would love to see picked up in US weddings.  Enjoy a couple of pictures and a very brief video of the "joining of the families" dance, where both families join together to bless the couple and their future children.

Ismael putting the ring on Tabitha's finger, for all to see.

Back to Africa!

I am back in Africa!  I have not stepped foot on the continent for almost fourteen months, having made it back one day before things shut down, the longest stretch since I started going in 2004.  While the last fourteen months have brought some amazing, unexpected, and exciting growth for Discipling Marketplace Leaders, it did feel good to get the dust off the suitcases and head out again.

The trip is centered on West Africa, starting in Burkina Faso.  The leaders of the Assemblies of God Burkina Faso have been waiting since early last year for a training for all of their denominational leaders.  We postponed several times and are happy to be going to be with them now.  There are about 6000 AG churches in Burkina Faso and we will be speaking to the leadership.

We will then be meeting with the leadership of the Christian Missionary Alliance denomination, which started implementing DML about two years ago.  It will be good to spend time with them and help them go to a new level.

We will then be going to Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), courtesy of our partner in Burkina Faso who has organized several denominational leaders there to hear the message of DML.  

From there, we will go to Liberia to meet with the leaders of Harvest Intercontinental Ministries, formerly known as Bethel World Outreach.  They are implementing DML in all 80 of their churches in Liberia, with 55,000 members, but we have now learned that they are flying in their bishops from all around the world to attend the conference during the third week of May.  We are very excited about what this means for the continued call of the integration of faith and work taking place in and through our churches!

Please pray for us on this trip, especially with the COVID issues that will need to be negotiated from border to border.  But mostly pray that hearts and minds will be open, for all of us, for what God is doing in and through His church.

This past week I attended the BAM (Business as Mission) Global Congress (thanks to those of you who prayed for this event - more on that later!) and heard this lovely song which they are now calling the BAM Anthem, set to the tune of the old hymn, Abide with Me.  It is truly lovely.  Please enjoy!

Ardie Burger: An Usher for God (1932-2021)

Ardie, Did You Know?

A 17-year-old young woman

Away from family, friends, and country,
Walks into the sanctuary of a church.
The sanctuary is dark, somewhat dingy,
In an area that feels oppressed and depressed.
Not unlike her soul.
Also Dark. Dingy.  Depressed.
Ardie, did you know?
 
Ardie, an African American man,
The age of this young white woman’s father,
At a time when their relationship was broken.
Greets her with a genuine smile,
A hug, and with his deep voice,
“Hello, Sweetheart.”
Acceptance.  Affirmation.  A balm.
Ardie, did you know?
 
She comes back again,
Despite the worship feeling foreign,
The people foreign,
The community foreign,
Because there is one accepting, welcoming face.
And over time her faith is stoked.
Her life is changed.
She finds her place.
Truth.  Transformation.  Trust.
Ardie, did you know?
 
Ardie, did you know?
Another white, privileged, Calvin student,
Entering a community plagued by poverty and racism,
Yet seen by you as a broken person,

in need of the hug and love of a Father.
Did you know she was in pain?
What were your thoughts? 
You never let on.
“Welcome, sweetheart.”  “Welcome, Baby.”  “Welcome, Daughter.”
Ardie, did you know?
 
I hope you can see what your gift produced in this young woman over the next 35 years.
A love for Madison Square Church,
A love for the Madison Square community,
A love for mission,
A love for the Church,
A love for God.
Would it had been the same if she had attended another church?

Would life had been different if not for that hug? That welcome?
Ardie, did you know?
 
I think you knew.
And you did it for hundreds of people. Maybe thousands.
And you never stopped.
 
I hope that when I too leave this world,
And come to the gates of heaven,
That along with the welcome of Jesus,
That you will be there,
Saying, “Welcome, daughter.”
 
Rest in peace, dear Ardie.

Brother, Elder, Father, and Friend.

An Usher for God.

BAM and the Church

In this coming week, Discipling Marketplace Leaders will have the opportunity to speak during the BAM (Business as Mission) Global Congress on the role of the church in the Business as Mission movement.  The Business as Mission movement started in around 2001 and has grown significantly in influence around the world.  Yet while the original recommendations for this movement were to start with the church, to date it has mostly operated outside the church.  

The reasons BAM leaders have given for this are 1. that the church is too difficult to work with, 2. that church and business don't mix, and 3. that if the church is the people, then we should be able to work directly with people in the marketplace without going through the gathered church.  

Yet the belief of the Discipling Marketplace Leaders global team is that NOT working through the church is the main reason that faith and work integrations have come and gone over the centuries.  Because it has not been embraced and fully accepted as a core need for holistic discipleship in the church means that there has been no institutional grounding for this movement.  

So it remains a movement outside of the church, with a very real risk of dying out without the sustaining role that workplace discipleship can be given through the institutional church, pastors, and seminaries.  

But the greater loss of not doing this through the church is the loss of an exponential rippling impact when this discipleship is done through the church, rather than individual business by individual business.  The potential for the church to teach more Christians to do our work for the flourishing of our customers, the flourishing of our employees, with a missional, social, environmental, and economic bottom line has impacts that can ripple out even further into communities. 

When churches begin to teach life on life evangelism rather than evangelistic programs and events, the opportunity for the growth of the church is also exponential.  Our research shows that churches grow both numerically and financially when a workplace ministry becomes part of the fabric of the church.

We have great hope for what could happen if more churches and denominations begin to accept the need for discipleship in this important area.  Yesterday my pastor said that hope is profound certainty.  This is based on trust that God is continuing to work out His purpose for the Church and bringing His people together.  We have seen it, and we are seeing it, and we believe we will continue to see it going forward.  

So we ask for your prayers this week as we have these conversations.  Prayers for the right people to attend from around the world, for the internet to not be a barrier for those who need to be in these (and other) conversations.  We will be working with BAM Global to build a task force to study this opportunity globally, and we will be looking for those individuals who have a calling and heart for this opportunity at this time.

Darrow Miller from Discipling Nations Alliance says, “You cannot transform nations without saving souls, but you can save souls without transforming nations."  Releasing members to be the church every day of the week, in every workplace, can transform nations.

Please pray with us!

Hurting Spirits and Kindred Spirits

Hurting Spirits

In January, I wrote a blog on a story of two nurses and a pastor, describing potentially different responses by a church and pastor to two nurses.  One pastor presented the church as a place that one goes to for theological answers while the other pastor presented the church as a place where workers can carry their questions, praises, and pains to God in community.

Shortly after posting that blog, I received the following email from someone who had a strong reaction after reading it.  With this person's permission, (and with bolded areas added by me), I share it with you:

My heart unexpectedly crashed when I read your blog. My head later caught up with my emotional reaction as I quietly meditated over what was going on in me.

Not once in my 40-year career as a professional service provider and as an active member within three congregations over that period of time was my work ever acknowledged as a form of worship, let alone prayed over and sent out by the church. Rather the implicit message was, "That is great what you do out there. Now, can you lead a group or teach a class in the church where God's real work is done?" And I did that in each of the churches where I was a member. Over the years, church participation was something more for me to do, over and beyond the service I provided in the community, especially for families in the community who would otherwise not financially afford the professional help.

Sadly, my connection with other church members was often peppered with requests for free advice or expectations that my professional privilege should easily be brought into the church life to enhance God's Kingdom work inside the church walls. I often experienced both a deeply felt fatigue and isolation in my church participation. Church was another drain on my personal resources of time and energy. I never experienced church as a resource or support for the work I did outside the church walls.

 It is not that the theology of sacred work was not preached. But it was not put into practice because neither I nor the church leaders knew the practical implementation of supporting and commissioning professional knowledge-holder's work outside of the church walls.

July 31, 2020 was my last day as a professional service provider. I surrendered my state license. A part of me is sad; a part of me feels relief. However, my role in the church remains disconnected apart from participating in corporate worship.

I am resilient. I deeply love the Lord. I will be fine. But something was missing for decades. I am just beginning to understand the cost for the church and myself.

My heart was deeply saddened when I read this.  It haunted me for days.  The last sentence especially gripped me:  "I am just beginning to understand the cost for the church and myself."

There is cost on both sides.  

The Church scattered, meaning the people of God from Monday-Saturday, suffer significantly when they are not equipped, encouraged, discipled, and commissioned to do their work as an act of worship with specific teaching on what that practically looks like.   

But the Church gathered also suffers significant lose in this dichotomy between sacred and secular.  The loss is so great yet often missed.

Kindred Spirits

Shortly after receiving this response to the blog, I had an opportunity to meet with other Business as Mission practitioners who are also passionate about bringing this opportunity of discipleship into the church.  Sadly, this group is very, very small.  But I did find a kindred spirit.

Devin Dickle, from Open USA.  Their motto is to "integrate the power of God and business to transform lives among the least reached.  In further conversations, Devin informed me that he wrote a paper called, "Overcoming the Church and Business Divide."  I encourage you to read it.  You have heard this message from me as well as from Discipling Marketplace Leaders for some time, and it is good and refreshing to hear someone else deliver a very similar message.  Then, if you have time for more, please listen to Devin's talk below.  

I have been encouraged by this and I hope you are too.  In a couple of weeks, the Business as Mission (BAM) Global Congress is going to meet, and Discipling Marketplace Leaders is going to have an opportunity to share, as well as work with other leaders who have a passion for BAM and the Church to come together.  Please pray with us for this time, that it may be Spirit led and directed! We pray that we may find many more kindred spirits who have sensed a call to comprehensive discipleship of the nations!

Are you a Stone Catcher?

In John 8, the story is told of the Pharisees bringing a woman caught in adultery (not the man, just the woman) to Jesus to ask Him what to do with her, noting that in the time of Moses they were to stone her.  Of course, the Pharisees weren't actually looking for advice but were looking to trick Jesus.  Jesus bends down to write on the ground, then stands to say, "Let him who is without sin among you, be the first to throw a stone at her."  Then he bends down again to write on the ground.  When he looks up again, there is no one left.

While there are MANY remarkable things about this incident, what is most remarkable to me (in this day and age of "reality" being so subjective) is that they "went away one by one, beginning with the older ones."  Justification of our sins has served us well for centuries.  It's how we live with ourselves.  Our brain needs to make sense of our own violation of morals and ethics so it explains it in a way that allows us to sleep at night (even though some sleep loss might be warranted!).  But no-one threw a stone. 

This past week we had another book club meeting with the DML team to look at our last chapter of the book Honorable in Business where the author challenged us to be stone catchers.  In John 8, the Pharisees walked away and no-one threw a stone.  Maybe because they recognized Jesus in the form of God before them and they had to be honest?  But today, many people throw stones without thinking twice.  Those stones are being hurled in many different contexts, and part of our call, as Christians in the workplace, is to be stone catchers - protecting those who are being stoned.  The authors write:

At times, Christians in business will be stone catchers - acting with justice and mercy in a world where often the results of business activities are like stones being thrown at supervisors, colleagues, employees, customers, vendors, stockholders, the public, anyone in general, with or without naming specific individuals.  In these instances, the Christian who wishes to answer the question asked in heaven:  "Were you honorable in business?"  in the affirmative, must act ...as a stone catcher.  

Since the Christian knows the end of the story, he or she will today "engage in business with a sense of hope and meaning."  They will look forward to whatever God has in mind for eternity for those who have spent their lives serving their fellow humans through "enabling the community to flourish and providing opportunities for employees to engage in meaningful and creative work. (Honorable in Business, Gibson and Augsburger)

We live in a world of stone throwers.  Sometimes these stones are obvious, but often they are not.  They can be physical, verbal, or even non-verbal.  They hurt, they damage, they destroy.

The marketplace is a difficult place to be.  We are surrounded by hurting people living in a world of judgment.  It is not enough that we consider our own sin before throwing a stone - sometimes we need to step in and be the stone-catcher.  

Catching stones that are thrown with force with the intent to injure or kill is putting yourself in danger's way.  That may hurt.

Catching stones that are not well-aimed, means you may be injured yourself.  You may not be able to catch it.  It may strike a blow.  That will hurt.

But as the people of God, who are to be the Church every day of the week, in every setting, we need to have eyes to see this pain and the courage to step in.

We teach that to love our neighbor requires four C's:  compassion, capacity, competence, and courage.  

May God help us to further develop these muscles to be stone catchers and share the love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness of Christ.

PS - Friends, we just finished our Economics of Hope class this past week with our partners.  We discussed how the shame of poverty is a major partner in brokenness for how the materially poor see themselves.  Instead of seeing themselves as being created in the image of God, they often feel inferior to others.  At this time, we are seeking to raise funds to mitigate the huge numbers of people moving toward extreme poverty because of the pandemic.  We have a matching grant opportunity that needs to be met by the end of March.  For more information, and to participate, please click here.

100 million more people in extreme poverty and how you can help!

The world was on a significant trajectory to eradicating extreme poverty (those living on less than $2/day).  As you can see in the graph below, the world went from 1.9 billion people in extreme poverty in 1990 to 650 million people in extreme poverty in 2018.  That is huge and wonderful!  As you can see in the graph, most of the poverty reduction took place in South Asia and East Asia & Pacific, and most of that poverty reduction came as a result of business development.  Unfortunately, the number of people in extreme poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa actually slightly increased over the same period of time.

However, the pandemic significantly altered this trajectory and the progress in the global number of people in extreme poverty is expected to increase by 100 million.  That is heartbreaking.  The graph below shows what the line looked like for Pre-COVID predictions and then with the reality of COVID.

The graph below breaks out by region where the new poor are going to be.  Many will be in Africa.

Because of this, Discipling Marketplace Leaders launched a campaign last week to raise funds for business development for our partners, to augment what they started last year in the form of pig farms, goat farms, fish farms, mushroom farms, rice farms, and other business development.  Last year we gave more than $150,000 and for this campaign we are looking to raise $55,000 to promote business sustainability projects.

The important thing to remember is that the money that many of you gave last year is still working as our partners require that the first piglets or baby goats are passed on to another person so that they too can start farming!  We are so thankful for last year's gifts that keep giving today!

In this last week, we received a challenge grant in the amount of $10,000, for which we are so thankful!  Would you prayerfully consider contributing something toward this before the end of March?  To do so, please click here and select the "Continued Connections, Flourishing Partners" Campaign.

100% of your gift will go to these business development projects.

Please pray as well.  With the help of God and the body of Christ working together, we can mitigate some of this poverty.

Economics of Hope: Does the Bible support one type of economic system?

Last week, DML started teaching a newly developed class, called "Economics of Hope."  This is a take-off of a class that we had taught called "Development and Social Change" but we felt the need to tailor and focus it more on economics and the hope that we find regarding economics in the Bible.

A question that comes out in this class is this:  Does the Bible propose an economic system?  Does God favor one of the four choices that most of us face in our various countries (Capitalism, Socialism, Communism, or Fascism)?

We don't see those words in the Bible, of course, but what can we glean from scripture in this regard and what does this mean for us today?

What we find in Scripture over and over is the desire for shalom, which I like to define as "vigorous wellbeing and abundant flourishing."  That is God's will for His people.  That is God's desire for His creation and all its creatures.  That was how it was set up before the fall.  That system called for all people to work and care for creation in order to perpetuate its flourishing (Genesis 2:15).  

We serve a working God.  We are made in His image.  But we don't have a "Made in the image of God" stamp on us (like many products that say "made in China").  It's not just a stamp - it's a part of who we are.  We bear that imprint in body and soul.

God created a system in which all would work and all would flourish.  So far so good.

Next we look at how often the Bible talks about private property and not stealing (implying ownership).  There are many mentions of this throughout Scripture, indeed even the longing that everyone would have their own vineyard and orchard (Micah 4:4).  Private property and ownership is very important for thriving and flourishing.  Studies have been done on what happens when the poor are given their own property - education and income increases, as well as many other positive effects.  

What about business and trade?  There are MANY examples in the Bible of strong, successful men and women who kept God on the throne despite their success and wealth.  But trade must be honest.  God abhors dishonest scales.  Trade must be done in a way that causes the customer and the employee to flourish.  That is the goal.  Profit is a means to this end but should not be an end in and of itself.  But we are expected to be fruitful and multiply so that MORE may flourish (parable of talents and minas).  Maintenance is not good enough.  

What about consumption?  The Bible tells us many things about money and wealth.  But much of it can be boiled down to three main points:  The hoarding of wealth is condemned, the sharing of wealth is encouraged, and the creation of wealth is both a God-given ability and command.  The New Testament command to give generously and with a grateful heart means that we should not be asking "How much should I give" but rather "How much do I need to keep?"  The difference in that question is the taking away from the "limitation" of the idea of the tithe from the Old Testament.

These are just a few of the things we can look at to see what the economy of God looks like and how things should operate.

Of course, we don't see any perfect system anywhere, and in my opinion, capitalism comes closest of the four.  But it has many issues, including feeding the desire of unnecessary things and the neglect of certain groups.  While we can get angry at the level of consumption, the inequality in resources around the world, the lack of jobs, and the lack of flourishing, it's important that we turn to hope.  

Christians can live and work according to God's economy.  The Christian Church can teach and lead people in this way.  Within our spheres of influence we can have an impact and we must hold on to that hope. 

Romans 15:13 reminds of this - and that we, as believers, should overflow with hope through the Holy Spirit!

Pastor Stephen Atria from Uganda is one person that gives me hope.  He has started something called "Monday Church" encouraging his members to live out the economic system of God.  This has had a ripple effect through his church and community.  I happened to catch his testimony a couple of weeks ago during a Zoom training and I invite you to listen to hear it, to also catch the hope that we can have when we apply what we know and believe on a daily basis and in our spheres of influence:

So I guess I AM a Canadian...

When I teach at various universities and seminaries, I often introduce myself this way:   "I'm a Dutch, Canadian, American, Liberian, Ghanaian, Kenyan citizen.  So I'm mostly confused.  But I know that I am a child of God and a citizen of heaven, awaiting my time to go Home!"  People laugh and I expand a bit more on my background.  

My husband, Michael, is Canadian with a green card and he has no plans to change that any time soon.  He insists that I too am Canadian, but I remind him that when I became an American in 2009, I had to "forswear all other" nationalities and pledge my allegiance to the US.  This has been an ongoing (playful) argument as to whether I am a Canadian.  

But then this happened to me last week.

On Wednesday, I drove to Port Huron, MI in order to get into Canada to spend a little over two weeks at my aunt's house with my mom.  Fourteen days must be in quarantine, but my aunt's house offers me my own bedroom, bathroom, office (so I can keep working), and living space.  I did this in December and the approval that they gave me in November is for six months, so I thought I should make one more trip (especially as I hope to be going to Africa again soon!).

The border guard looked at my US passport, my paperwork and my recent COVID test results, and then said, "I need to refer you to the Port Health Authority to go over your quarantine expectations, but as a Canadian, you should have no problems getting in."  I nearly repeated, "As a Canadian?"  But having learned long ago to say no more than necessary, I thanked him and went to see the Port Health Authority.  I ran into trouble with them and they denied me entry because they said my mom couldn't be in the same house where I was quarantining because that is a mix of too many households.  Since that was my whole reason for going (to spend time with her), I knew I had to turn around and go back home.  While I was on the phone with her telling her the bad news, the official who met with me came over and said, "Since you are a Canadian, it doesn't sound like they are making the right call - let me check with them."  Again I'm a Canadian, I wondered?  Two minutes later, the Port Health Authority person called me back and said they changed their mind based on the size of the house.  I was cleared to go.  

Of course, I was greatly relieved but I thought it curious that after 11 years of being an American and entering Canada with an American passport, I've never been referred to as a Canadian.

Then on Saturday, I received an email from the Canadian government regarding my quarantine, and it started by saying, "You are receiving this email because you recently returned from traveling outside of Canada...", again implying that I am Canadian and have just been out traveling! I guess I've been traveling outside of Canada since I was 17 years old - for 35 years!

So I guess, from Canada's perspective, I am Canadian.

It's a little strange to be unsure of your identity.  When I say I'm American, there is always a twinge of not feeling fully American.  I certainly haven't felt like I'm Canadian.  I have tried to move away from being identified as Dutch, even though my parents are both from the Netherlands.  And I certainly can't claim I'm African, even though that's the continent I have grown to love and where I would love to continue living. 

I'm glad my citizenship is in heaven and all the rest really doesn't matter.  As long as I have travel papers that allow me to cross borders, I'm happy!

And, Lord willing, in May I will be traveling to Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, and Liberia to meet with Assembly of God pastors and Harvest International Ministries.  It's been about a year since I've been in Africa and it is time!

Oh...and one more thing...I guess my husband was right about me being Canadian.  He says that I don't say that often enough...that he is right...so let me say it publicly here!  

360°: Gathered, to Scattered, to Gathered

Over the last three weeks, we've seen the impact of a quadruple bottom line applied in the workplace through Brian, Patience, and Michael.  I've been so thankful for the feedback and encouragement from many of you in response.

But we are beginning to see (again, thanks to the work of Willson and Kaemingk's book, Work and Worship) that the "church gathered to church scattered" is only half of the challenge (or shall we say opportunity) before us.  What about the "church scattered to church gathered?"  We need to come full circle.  We need to integrate into our worship and "our church gathered liturgy" new and different practices as we return to the sanctuary.  This has been a recent and ongoing "aha" for me.

Psalm 73 helps us to see this clearly.  In verses 2-3, 12, and 16-17, it says, 

As for me, my foot had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.  For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked...This is what the wicked are like - always free of care, they go on amassing wealth...When I try to understand all this, it troubled me deeply until I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.

The perspective of this writer shifted as he entered the sanctuary.  The "church gathered" gives a chance to look at the cluttered economy of the world from a different perspective, allowing us to see into the true economy of God.  All workers need to regularly and physically withdraw from the economy of the world so that we can discover how our work can stand in alliance with the justice, rest, and generosity of God!

When we do not do this, we risk being part of what Ezekiel 28:18 says, "By your many sins and dishonest trade, you have desecrated your sanctuaries."

We need to examine ourselves before worship.  We need to be aware of our unclean hands when we enter the sanctuary.

If this does not happen, the integrity of our worship will be impacted.  And if we engage in unfaithful worship practices, the integrity of our work will also be impacted.  One leads to the other, either to both flourish or to both suffer.  The two are tied together and we must not forget that.

The authors of Work and Worship paint a picture that I have relished as I imagine it.  I long to see this take place in every church that is gathered.  They ask us to imagine a church gathered, that is about to have communion.  Each person brings up something of their work:  a hammer, a wrench, a tie, a muffler, a uniform, a day planner, a plate of muffins, a bottle of wine, a baby bottle, blueprints, a loaf of bread, keys, a laptop.  Children bring up crayons, soccer balls, textbooks.

These are all placed around the communion table and the pastor says, "Let's pray:

Lord of all creation, 
You have given us this work.
You have planted us in this city.
We serve in hospitals, businesses, homes, and schools,
Places to care and create, places to serve and to bless.
We come to you today grateful for all these vocations,
Grateful for the opportunity to join you and your work in this city.
And so today we present our humble and imperfect works to you.
We ask that, through the redeeming power of your Son,
You would take our fallen and finite tasks and turn them into worship,
Works of praise, pleasing to you.
In the power of your Spirit, take our meager and imperfect crafts,
Use them to feed, and serve, and bless this city.
Through the power of your Spirit, may these fruits produce an aroma,
An aroma that is sweet to you
And all who are blessed by them.

Lord, some of these callings frustrate us.
Many of these challenges cause us pain.
From injustice and discrimination at work, we pray for deliverance.
From pain, we pray for your healing.
For those straining to receive a new calling,
We pray that your voice would be heard strong and clear.
God, we confess that we do not always offer our best at your table
We confess that sometimes we do not offer our all.
We hold back.
We try to control these callings.
We think they belong to us.
We think they exist to bless us alone.
Forgive us, Lord.  

These labors we offer today are imperfect,

Sometimes they are outright rebellious.

Forgive us for our unfaithfulness at work.

Clean our soiled hands and hearts.

Renew our minds.

By your grace and through the power of your Spirit,

Take these callings and make them yours.

Break these callings open and feed your people.

Pour these callings out and quench their thirst.

May the work of our hands,
The offerings of our whole lives
Give you pleasure and bring you praise.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Then the pastor takes the loaf of bread and the bottle of wine from the pile before them, and they have communion together.  

The people marvel at how the works of their hands (bread and wine) become the elements of a meal in which Christ says, "This is my body...this is my blood...for you."  

Our work transforms into His work.  

His work transforms us to do our work.

Full circle.

Quadruple Bottom Line: Michael, a Mechanic

This is the last of three blogs that I wanted to put out, telling the story of several Christians who are living out a quadruple bottom line in their work.  I hope that it shows how every Christian, in every workplace, can have a quadruple bottom line to fulfill the Great Commitment of Genesis 1 and 2, the Great Commandment of Matthew 22, and the Great Commission of Matthew 28.  We believe the world would look and operate differently if every Christian was able to set goals for an economic, environmental, social and missional bottom line, which is reinforced and supported by the Church when gathered.

Michael, a Mechanic

Michael is a 46-year-old mechanic who has been working on vehicles since he was a boy.  His father was a mechanic, as was his uncle, and his older brother.  He likes to say that grease runs in his veins!  The business is a small family business, on a corner lot on the outskirts of town.  Michael grew up in the church, but he had not seen much overlap between his faith and his work until his church started a workplace ministry.  Since going through the DML class in his church, he has made and applied a quadruple bottom line to his work and his home.

1. Economic – When I learned that the purpose for business is to help the customer and employees flourish, it really changed my thinking.  I prided myself on being a Christian mechanic because I didn’t switch out good parts for bad parts, like I know other mechanics sometimes do.  But there were times when I ignored parts that needed replacing because, by not informing the customer, they would come back again and pay for labor.  Sometimes I informed them about a part going bad and slightly exaggerated the urgency of replacing the part.  But when I started to look at my business from God’s perspective, to see people flourish, to see their cars as a means for them to fulfill their calling and help others flourish, it made things clearer in my mind.  I no longer looked at my economic bottom line as the only component of my business, but the desire to see my customers flourish.  So I made a commitment to be very honest, even if it cost me a sale.  And the amazing thing is that since I did that, my business has increased.  I have had to hire two more guys to help out!  Apparently people really appreciate a mechanic that they can trust and they have started referring friends to me.  I didn’t realize that would be the case – I had resigned myself to have less and God has blessed me with more.
2. Environmental – Being a mechanic is messy business.  We deal with a lot of old used parts as well as a lot of used oil.  The temptation to dump oil is great and the temptation to just let old parts rust out in the back of our lot is also there.  But as I thought about being a steward of creation, I began to look into other options for what to do with our waste.  First, I found out that there is a synthetic oil which is better for the environment AND is better for the customer.  In fact, it will last eight times longer for customers.  That means less oil changes for them and better for the environment – win-win!  It is more expensive so not everyone takes that option, but the number is growing.  I also found a place that will actually buy scrap parts from us.  They come buy once a month and pick it up, break them down, and then recycle them for new parts.  It doesn’t pay much at all, but it is better than letting things rust and corrode into the soil.  Our lot is cleaner and that is a good thing!
   
3. Social – As I considered what it means to love my neighbor at my work, I remembered what my pastor said about the three resources we have been given:  time, treasure, and talent.  I know I don’t have a lot of treasure, but I also realized that I have a special talent in fixing cars, and I could spare some time to teach others.  My church has been talking about the growing youth group and their need for work, so I contacted the leader and offered to do a training for them on routine maintenance for a car-owner (even if they don’t own a car now, they might in the future!).  To my surprise, they ended up wanting to open it up for anyone in the church who wanted to attend.  It ended up being a lot of fun as I taught them how to change a tire, change the oil, change a battery, as well as headlights and taillights.  Since then, they have asked me to take on a couple of youth for an apprenticeship at the shop, which I agreed to do.  We had apprentices in the past, but this felt different since they were members of our church and we kept ourselves in check to do our work as an act of worship!
4. Missional – If you are a mechanic, or you know mechanics, you know that we tend to be a pretty close-knit group.  Usually, many of us are in the same part of town, and we get to know each other pretty well.  It’s true that there is competition, but there is also a healthy camaraderie.  When my pastor asked me who God might be calling me to disciple at work, I couldn’t answer.  But what I could do (and did do) was develop my prayer chart with many of the names of these friends.  I’m already in relationship with them, but I know that I hadn’t talked about my faith with them.  I asked God for an opportunity and began to pray regularly for each of them by name.  After a couple of weeks doing this, one of the men on my list began talking to me about some family issues while we were hanging out.  My heart began to race as I realized that this was likely the opportunity I had been praying about.  With a little bit of nervousness, I asked him if he would mind if I prayed for him.  He responded with a laugh, but when he saw that I was serious, he glanced around and then said yes.  I prayed for him right then and there, and we began to talk and share more.  Slowly more people began to listen in on our discussions and started to join.  Two months later we had started a prayer group, once a week, on Fridays at lunch.  About twelve guys came to the last one!  I’m amazed.  I’m not really sure where we will meet next but I’m guessing God will help me figure that out! 

We thank God for people like Michael in this world who do their work as an act of worship, with the goal of seeing those around them flourish!

Quadruple Bottom Line: Patience, a Hotel Housecleaner

Patience, a 33-year-old mother of three from Northern Ghana, has been working as a hotel housecleaner for the past four years.  “It’s hard work,” she says, “but I’m blessed to work for someone who is a Christian and who frequently reminds us that our goal is to be a blessing for the customer.”

When Patience’s church began a workplace ministry identifying the importance of recognizing the quadruple bottom line for every Christian, she began to reflect on how that would relate to her job.  This is what she came up with:

• Economic – I have an opportunity to help my business economically in large part by how I treat customers.  If I am rough or unkind to customers, even in a slight way, they will not come back.  If I fall behind in my time schedule and their room is not prepared on time, they may go to another hotel.  If I am not thorough, the customer may complain.  My work is very important to the economic bottom line.  However, I also can have an impact economically by how liberally or frugally I use the cleaning materials, whether I let the water run while I clean, and so on.  And so, I have to remind myself that even if I’m not in marketing or management, I have to do my work to the glory of God, as if He is my customer.  I can help the business economically, which is a witness to God, and as the business grows, it provides an income for me and my family.

• 
  Environmental – Keeping the grounds of the hotel clean is one thing that I do to help the environment.  I have found that when people litter, it invites others to litter as well, so keeping everything tidy contributes to others doing the same.  I have talked to management about the chemicals that we use for cleaning.  We want things to be clean and sanitized but there are products that we can use that are less harmful and toxic than others.  We have talked to others who clean about using the right amount of cleaning agents.  At our hotel, we offer guests the option to not have their bedding and towels cleaned daily in an effort to not use too much water and soap.  We are also looking into alternatives for finding replacement for single use plastic, especially in water bottles. My manager has asked me to make a proposal for other options.  I’m excited about this!

• Social – Loving customers is easy for me because I genuinely love people.  There are some who are difficult though, so I have to remind myself that I am there to help them flourish, even if they are unkind to me.  There are a couple of regular guests who are very nice to the manager and owner, but harsh and unkind to those of us who clean.  I have decided to pray for them by name and ask God to heal the part of them that causes that unkindness.  Praying for them in that way has made it easier for me to be kind to them.  There are also two young ladies who are cleaners with me and I am having a hard time with them.  They don’t like hard work and are on their phones every chance they get.  Sometimes I have to do more because they are off hiding and less visible.  I have been asking God to help me find things about them to love, so that I can concentrate on the good, and build a relationship that can help them see their work as an opportunity to help others flourish, not just a way to get money.  Praying for them has again helped to soften my heart toward them.
  
  
  
• Missional – I have mentioned that I am praying for some customers and employees, but I believe the biggest missional bottom line for me is to pray over every room as I clean it.  I pray that the person sleeping in the bed will have good and peaceful sleep.  I pray that the person bathing in the bathroom will be healthy.  I pray that the peace of God may greet each person in the doorway and that He may whisper to them through His Holy Spirit as they wake and sleep.  I pray that each room is a holy sanctuary for each person.  I see this as an important calling!

We thank God for the people like Patience in this world who do their work as an act of worship, with the goal of seeing those around them flourish!