God is in the details

You're probably familiar with the phrase, "the devil is in the details..." especially if you're the one putting the plans together! Often things aren't as simple as they may seem and hidden surprises spring up out of nowhere in those details never imagined. Yet for a Christian, it seems all too often that it's in the details where God shows up. Sometimes they are called "coincidences" yet how many coincidences does it take until something can no longer be called a coincidence??

Yesterday was one of the days full of "coincidences" where God continued to show up in the details. We set out early in the morning, myself together with one set of my adopted Mexican parents (Omar & Christina whom a number of you have had the privilege to meet) for a town about 200km from San Carlos, up the coast, called Bahía de Kino. Omar & Christian had lived there a number of years ago and they wanted to take me there to find and meet some pastors with the purpose of sharing the vision of the school, something that we are wanting to do more intentionally this year, especially closer to home, here in the state of Sonora. We hit the road with no particular destination other than arriving specifically at this town, to ask around for the local churches and meet the pastors.

On the way we passed through a small town, maybe 500 people or so and decided to ask around for a local evangelical congregation. "Coincidentally," the first person we saw "happened" to be the nephew of the pastor and pointed across the street from the store he was at to the pastor's house. The pastor, "happened" to know one of our teachers well who lived less than an hour away and belong to the denomination (Calvary Chapel) of one of our other teachers, also knowing him well. So after sharing a little about "this school in San Carlos," the connections were quickly made to the people we had in common, and as it turned out he had already been to one of our conferences a couple of years back at CEC. It indeed is a small world.

Receiving some direction from this pastor, we arrived at our destination and located a pastor of the same denomination who obviously knew very well the same teacher who has taught with us over the years. We also sought out the church Omar & Christina had been apart of many years ago only to find the pastor who is in charge now is the brother-in-law of the person whom they knew from many years ago. A careful review of the history and a catching up of where every is and has been serving then took place over a cup of coffee. This was then followed up by a visit to another pastor who, as it turns out, knows well not only our director, but the founder of our mission (BMSLA), and had been a part of a church plant where one of our other teachers is now the full-time pastor. (If I've lost you, you now have a thorough understanding of how the mennonite game works!)

All of this to say that, God often shows up in these details, having worked things out long before, and as we just move forward in obedience, we find that He has put things together in ways that only He can. It's neat to make these connections and be able to share first hand with these pastors the vision for CEC, and to see their enthusiasm for the opportunities that CEC provides. It seems to happen more often than not that we as Christians, no matter how close or far they may live away, we find that we are all connected, not just spiritually, but even our paths form this spider-web of connections that only God can and continues to weave together.

I suppose in one sense we may have "failed" at making new connections, but we were in every way encouraged knowing that God had led us to the people we needed to meet. We rejoice in these connections that are "re-discovered" and strengthened as we work together for the same goal, serving the same God. It's still early, but we are thinking about and praying for the next group of students for 2020. We plan for a maximum of 15 students for the first year course, and an additional 10 for the followup course (which will be the first time it is offered.)

Thanks for your prayers and continue to pray not only for the students who recently returned to their homes but those over the years who have been faithfully serving the Lord following their time at CEC. Pray also for those who may be discouraged and for those who are not walking faithfully with the Lord at this time.

!Dios les bendiga!

Endings and Beginnings

We're just over a week from finishing this year's class - all the students are back at home, carried their by the excitement of the things that they've learned while at CEC, changed by God's hand at work in each and every one of their lives. There were no final exams (actually there were no exams, essays, or similar assignments to speak of at all!) but perhaps they're facing the final exam as we speak - the reality of living the reality they experienced here in CEC now forming their new reality! Have I lost you yet? Let me unpack it a little by the way of "bubbles".

Class of 2019

Every year seems to have its own themes and one recurring theme this year was the talk about bubbles. This was somewhat reinforced with the alumni who returned for a two week celebration of CEC's ten year anniversary. We heard from the returning-students, each one overjoyed to return to CEC, reminiscing about all that they experienced and more than anything, the family that they became a part of. One student in particular made the remark, "I feel like I've come home." Many describe it as a bubble, and in a sense, that is exactly what it is. With no responsibilities other than studying, learning, and memorizing Scripture, one grows in leaps and bounds - one doesn't even have to worry about cooking; other than daily chores and dishes, the time is dedicated and devoted to being in God's Word - how can one not grow??

The evidence of grown comes in many forms in each one of the students. Beyond the perspective-change that comes from a greater understanding of God's Word, transformation takes place as students recognize areas in their lives that need to be changed, decisions that need to be made, people that need to be forgiven, dreams for ministry that form or are affirmed - and all of this builds to the inevitable climax of eventually returning home.

This is where the bubble illustration can break down - it may seem as though each student now leaves the bubble to enter "reality" and yet this is not what we desire for each student to experience. On the contrary, though the time here in CEC has many advantages to it that perhaps one does not experience leaving, what we try to live here during these 14 months, is not just a bubble, as though it's an alternate reality or a make-believe community, but rather reality itself based on how God has completely changed us through Christ's death and resurrection. More than just learning through the classes, our goal is to live in community, learning together, shaping and being shaped by each other and ultimately learning to live in light of the reality of who God is and what He has done for us. Our goal is that each student would learn to live this with greater authenticity, and continue to do so once they leave CEC, in their families, in their communities, and in their churches. If we were to continue with the bubble illustration, it would be to continue to live out what they experienced while at CEC - to take their bubble with them, so to speak.

I know it all sounds neat and tidy on paper, and the reality is messy, but so was life over the past 14 weeks. Living in community is never easy. Confronting areas in our lives (and being confronted) is never easy. But there is a reason the Bible does not condone lone-ranger Christians but rather the Believing Community - the Church. "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing..." More than just "going to church" I believe this is encouraging us to live in community, in spiritual community; "...but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Heb 10:25).

If you think of it, pray for our students, that they would not become discouraged but that they would continue to live out in their homes, communities, and churches, everything that they learned while in CEC. We are encouraged to hear from them, and to hear that they are encouraged as they do just that. Thanks for all of your continued prayers! ¡Dios les bendiga!

Day Number 17, But Who's Counting?

Tomorrow will bring us to the quarter-way mark of our semester together...in some ways it feels like we've already been together for months and yet it has only been just over three weeks.  I apologize for the lack of updates - don't for a minute think that I don't appreciate you or covet your prayers!  On the contrary we have been lifted up by them and know that many have been praying.  God has been at work not only in the students but in us as staff as well.

This year God brought us nine students, ranging in age from 17 to into the sixties.  Perhaps I identify even more with this group as a number of them are people who have grown up in Christian homes.  They come from different parts of the country though the majority are here from the state of Sonora.  It's an open group, an interactive group, an energetic group (every free moment we're playing...or attempting to play volleyball), and a group that each day is showing a hunger for a deeper understanding of who God is.

Back (L to R): Jesús (Jalisco), Alexis (Jalisco), Leydi (Nayarit), Carmen (Sonora), Dariana (Sonora),                   José Antonio (Sonora) Front: Juan (Sonora), José Luis (Sonora), Jonathan (Sonora)

Being together 24-7 has its advantages and disadvantages.  Last week I "hit a wall" with regards to tiredness, going to bed at 8:00 one evening.  With all that is going on, including teaching, organizing, spending time with the students, etc., one gets worn out, but the advantages far out-weight these inconveniences.

Perhaps the greatest advantage is being able to see and be a part of the change that God does in each one of us, not only through the classes but outside of them as well.  Sometimes I wonder who grows and learns more: teachers or students?  One thing that I've learning personally is connected with the classes I've been teaching over the last few weeks on Spiritual Disciplines.  If I could boil it down to one essential point it would have to be John 15:5 where Jesus talks about us remaining in Him.  I am the vine; you are the branches.  If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.  Those are humbling and yet empowering words.  Sometimes I'm so much more preoccupied with doing that I forget about just simply being with God and yet this is the source, the only source of life.  On the contrary, when I worry more about being with Him, the fruit will come, I cannot help but bear fruit in my life.  For myself this has become very obvious especially in teaching - for all the preparation I can do for the classes, my attitude, my posture before Him, and my connection to Him are what truly make the difference.

Another thing that I've been learning is to leave each class, truly leaving the class.  Perhaps that doesn't make much sense but I realize how easy it is to take the class with me, running over what I missed, what I could have done, etc., often feeling disappointed with what I thought "could have been."  I suppose I'm my own worst critic and I do want to continually evaluate each class so that I can improve (sometimes it hurts to admit that I am not perfect and that there will always be room for improvement).  But at the end of each class, all I can do is trust that God used it, entrusting the outcome for each person to Him.  Believe me, as simple as this sounds, it has been something that God is reminding me about - once again I believe it comes back to simply abiding in Him, trusting in Him, and realizing that it's He who does the work in each student's heart, not so much my "impressive" (or lack there-of) teaching ability!

On the other side of things, to see God at work in each and every one of the students is encouraging as well.  One student comes to mind in particular.  Without sharing details, one of our students entered CEC having committed some pretty big errors in his life only several months before coming.  In some ways coming here was a type of spiritual retreat to deal with these things personally and to draw closer to God.  Over the first few weeks, though, we as a staff noticed several things that were concerning, making us question his sincerity in being at CEC and in truly being willing to deal with the things he had done.  Last week we took the opportunity to raise these concerns with him personally, challenging him in several ways, hoping and praying that we would see a genuine, sincere response from him.  It certainly isn't the first time that we've done this with students and conversations like these have often lead to students deciding that maybe being here wasn't for them.  Praise God we have seen him respond, rising to the challenges, and most importantly showing through his actions a genuine repentance and desire to seek God.

It's exciting for us to witness these responses, to see not only people's actions but their genuine desire to seek after God - this is probably the doubled edged sword of living in community as we are: you can only hide the real you for so long (disadvantage!) but this is also the advantage in that, that's where change really happens.  This is where God begins to work in us, when we get beneath the layers of who we pretend to be and get honest with Him and with ourselves about who we really are and what is really going on inside of us.

Please don't stop praying for our students and staff!  We're only just beginning - the layers are just beginning to come off as we get to know one another.  It's not always a fun process the but results are always worth it.  ¡Dios les bendiga!