Externally Focused at Watermark

We recently deployed a medical team of surgeons, followed by a second team of nurses, EMTs, wound care specialists, and others.  Todd and I were able to join this group with the purpose of surveying the destruction, assisting our teams, and connecting with some of our partners on the ground as we pray and plan about a long term response. It was an amazing experience and God orchestrated the events, the people that we were able to cross paths with, and even our return trip.  We were able to serve in our makeshift Operating Room with Mission of Hope Haiti and in their clinic; helped a motorcyclist who was hit by a truck right in front of us and suffered a fractured leg; walked the streets of devastated Port-au-Prince and mingled with folks scavenging for anything of value; jumped rope with kids in a tent city; set up a mobil medical clinic and treated 30-40 patients for everything from infected sutures to asthma to open wounds; viewed a mass grave and participated in the unloading of bodies and a mass funeral; shared the Gospel everywhere; and encouraged those who had been working there since the beginning.  Again, it was an amazing time and I was reminded of Romans 8 constantly and the fact that all creation groans until the day it is completely redeemed when Christ returns.

I was also reminded that God is sovereign; that He cares for us; that remarkably He allows broken people in His church to be the “first responders” when earthquakes happen; as Todd says, “earthquakes are happening all around us” and a great reminder that we need to be about responding to the storms in the lives of people right here in Dallas; that ONE PERSON can make a difference; that we are building our foundations, whether we acknowledge it or not, on either rock or sand, and that the end of all temporal things is a pile of rubble, so we should be investing in the eternal. Stay tuned as we develop our long range plans and in the meantime, if you’d like to volunteer, please e-mail sjordan@watermark.org. Thanks to so many of you who followed Todd and I on twitter and prayed for our teams! If you want to look at those along with the photos, follow @wordsfromwags and @outwardfocused.

Here are some other links to information about that trip and some of my thoughts below those…

Link to Good Morning Texas interview – http://www.wfaa.com/good-morning-texas/Local-Doctors-Return-from-Haiti-83260462.html

Watermark Medical blog description – http://watermarkblogs.org/medical/2010/02/01/first-team-back-from-haiti/

Hope Lives is back!

Wanna join us for 5 weeks starting January 14th?  We’d love to have you!  And, if you’re reading this blog, you’re likely already praying and processing through these topics (serving the marginalized, helping the physically and spiritually needed, missions-minded) so we’d love to have you in the class to corporately continue to grow in this area.  And, maybe invite some others to join you?!

We have some first-timers coming and some repeaters … so, whether you’ve never heard of this class, heard of it and wanted to take it before but your schedule didn’t work, or already a graduate, JUMP IN with us as we search the Scriptures as to what is true about our God, what is true about us, and what is true about the needy.

And, Lord willing, as we understand these truths, our lives, our communities, and our world will be changed by the people of God doing the will of God.  [Warning:  This is not for the faint-hearted.  I thought this class was a royal-kick-in-the-pants and a big part of me wants to go back to thinking I'm doing good to serve once a week, give a little more than 10%, and know at least one homeless person ... but, by His grace, He's moved my heart and my hands have followed ... I don't deny that I kind of liked my self-centered, materialistic world without much of a conscience or burden for the physical needs of others but I'm infinitely more the BLESSED ONE by having my heart, schedule, and priorities re-aligned by intentional service and relationships with folks that I never intentionally interacted with and loved before.] This year, Jeff Ward and I will be team teaching!

click here to sign up (or copy/paste into your browser)…

http://www.watermark.org/ministries/equipping/equipping-ministry/

by Jennifer Lewis

We were able to take in the new movie, “The Blind Side” this weekend.  I highly recommend it.  Not to spoil the movie for those of you who have not seen it, but it is based on the true story of Michael Oher, an homeless boy who became an All American football player and first round NFL draft pick with the help of several people including the decision of a caring well to do family in Memphis, the Touhy’s, who decided to take Michael in and make him part of their family. 

First of all, you should know that movie downplays the role of the Touhy family’s faith in their decision, but regardless, there’s enough left in the film so you get the picture that this is a family that attempts to live out what they profess.  In fact, in an interview with Sandra Bullock, she said that she had spent some time with the family and that it had renewed her faith in people of faith…a family actually living out their faith in real and tangible ways.

So, here’s a few personal thoughts that came to mind late in the night after I had some time to digest the movie…  They are not in order of importance, but just in the order they came to me.  I welcome your thoughts in response…

1. The poor are often the most generous – The “success” of Michael Oher does not begin with the Tougy’s.  I have learned that folks in poverty are more generous than the wealthy.  You might argue this, but it’s true and empirically supported.  Interestingly, the first family that really saw Michael’s need and helped him was a blue collar family, who took him in, let him sleep on their sofa, and made him part of their family.  This man is the one that approached the christian school about enrolling his own son, and also “Big Mike” as well.  This family is not really spotlighted in the movie, but they probably made the greater sacrifice – economically, etc., as they fed him, gave him a spot on the living room couch,  and attempted to get him into the school.  It’s the folks that sometimes make sacrifices in “obscurity” that pave the way for even greater things to happen down the line.

I am reminded of the many families that we have met in Africa who live in one or two bedroom houses, but who take in multiple orphans to live with them – even as they barely are able to feed their own kids.  It comes naturally.  One of our friends even had 9 orphans and saw that there was additional room under the kitchen table for one more, and so added another.  I asked myself “Do I have THAT mentality when it comes to meeting needs?”

2. The Tougys likely “practiced” servitude before.  This family had a decision to make on that cold rainy night when they spotted this large black kid in shorts walking down the road…They could have easily thought “how tragic” and then simply let Michael walk on. After all, they didn’t know him.  They were tired and returning home (had their own schedule to keep).  But, they saw this as an “opportunity” to serve.  And, they made the decision to get involved relationally…

Now I don’t know much about this family so this is an assumption – but this was likely not a decision they made in isolation. The husband said he had seen that look in his wife’s eyes many times before. My bet is that they had “practiced” a lifestyle of service prior to that time that culminated in their decision to really help when they were presented the opportunity. Just as I can’t “decide” I’m going to run the White Rock Marathon in a few weeks, show up, and expect to perform.  We can’t simply “decide” that we’re going to make the correct decisions when the time is right.  Rather, spiritual transformation is a process…a process involving the spiritual disciplines and making biblical decisions and course corrections over a period of time.  I pray that when I’m presented with a “big” opportunity to serve God that I will have been faithful in the daily small opportunities so that I don’t blow it.

3. Be careful how we define “success” when we serve.  I wondered as I watched this movie whether the only reason this movie was made was because Michael Oher went on to become a successful tackle for the Baltimore Ravens.  Is he the exception rather than the rule?  Would we have celebrated the service of the Touhy’s at all in any public way if Michael had not become a football star? I began to think of the countless folks that spend their lives in quiet obscure service directed at folks that struggle (and never overcome) their destructive lifestyle, addictions, economic conditions, etc.  If we knew that the person we were considering helping was going to overcome all of the odds and become “successful” ultimately, it might make it easier to help.  But God doesn’t give us the option of seeing their future.  Rather, he simply commands us to love our neighbor and to share the “hope” of the gospel.  The “results” of our obedience are left up to Him.  So, the danger is that we look for the emerging athlete, scholar, pastor, teacher, lawyer, professional…someone with “potential”…a ”diamond in the rough”.  But that is just our own pride working it’s way out in our “service.”  We just need to serve people as Christ commanded…in obscurity…people who are empty handed.  People who (from the outside) have nothing to offer.  People who just need love.  Funny…this sounds just like me as I stand before my creator.  Nothing in my hands.  Nothing to offer him, other than my acceptance of the work of His Son on my behalf.

4. There is great value in relational service.  I saw in this story the value of developing relationships with those in need. You don’t have to move them into your house. But just develop an intentional relational commitment to someone – give them hope and a positive biblical role model. But, be open to where God leads! He takes ground bit by bit.  In this case, it started out as one night, then God moved them to buy Michael some clothes.  Then God stirred them to use their resources to hire a tutor so that Michael could excel academically.  They did not “swoop” in, meet a need in a one off way, check the feel good box, and then swoop out.

5. Michael’s “success” was dependent on MANY folks.  In this story, it took more than this single family moving outside of their comfort zone.  Others - his teachers had to take the time to learn the best way to teach Michael (they found that he was more “verbal” and so played to his strengths), his coaches had to work with him to find the most effective way to play him (he was a “protector” and not an agressor in football), the other people in his life who had helped to extricate him from the deadly influences that were all around him, including those that separated him from his natural mother (as difficult as that was), etc.  I was just reminded that MANY people could have been highlighted in this movie as being instrumental in Michael’s transformation.  That is so true in life as well.  The more we work together and in collaboration to serve those in need, the more effective we are.  I read an African proverb the other day that summarizes this point well – “If you want to run fast, run alone.  But, if you run together, you will go farther!”  I love that.

Praying that we “run together” as we serve this city!

First of all, it’s important to know that at my previous place of employment, I was voted the ”webmaster” simply because I used an electronic calendar.  This tells you something about the technological environment that I have been in for the past several years.  So, it was shocking when I started this blog several months ago….thanks to many patient friends and some serious hand-holding.  Then, someone mentioned twitter! I was already maxed out savvy-wise, but thought I’d explore it.  In full transparency, initially I was not enamored with learning that someonne was eating ribs, was really tired, that their flight was delayed, or that they had spent two hours naming the family pet.  Really?  Nevertheless, I must say that it has really been a great tool and here’s why…

1) in the world of “outreach,” things move fast, and it has been very helpful to get the word out quickly about needs, opportunities, things to celebrate, and places for folks to get plugged in in “real time.”  For example, when I learned in a conference call that IJM had just secured the freedom of almost 50 slaves in India, I was able to shoot that out to folks who would be interested. 

2) one of the best things about this role is the opportunity to meet people who are “all in” loving Jesus and living lives that demand an explanation.  I want others to meet them as well and/or get directed to a website, if only in a brief message of 140 characters.

3) people twitter that wouldn’t otherwise subscribe to the blog.  And, so, when the blog is updated, so is twitter.

4) twitter is a great way to connect with other like-minded folks and learn about what is happening in their world, what they’re doing, and who they’re meeting.

5) it can be updated instantly from my phone, wherever I am, and even when I am un-hitched from the computer.

6) it causes me to consider where I am spending my time and whether I am spending it on significant and eternal things that I would love to share with others…constantly keeps me asking whether I am stewarding my time well.

7) it keeps me from going on and on….forcing me to summarize in a few sentences what would otherwise take pages.  This is very helpful and one of the reasons that I enjoy following others… I know that I won’t get hammered with long treatises.

it allows me to keep folks informed about local outreach events that are worthy of note, like the Dallas Justice Revival (www.justicerevival.org).

9) it’s just really cool to say that I am on twitter and twittering…it’s both a noun and a verb!

There are many more and I’m sure as I continue to twitter those will emerge.  So, if you’re not already in…c’mon in the water’s great!  Get started by following my external focus twitter – @outwardfocused!

Thanks to all of your journeying with us on Thursday nights.  There has been some great feedback from folks who attended Week 1!  It is so exciting to be wrestling through this material with you…truly.  Please leave comments to this post and let us know, from the readings, your personal devotions, or interactions with others:

WHAT HAS BEEN CHALLENGING YOU?

Sorry we were down for a bit…had some server issues and some other problems which I can’t even pronounce much less explain.  In any case, we’re back up for business again for the time being.  It reminded me that sometimes “analog” can be more reliable.  Like this guy who is called the “Liberian Blackboard Blogger” in Africa.  Great story if you’re interested… http://www.afrigadget.com/2009/03/13/liberias-blackboard-blogger/

While we might debate the value of standing all day on the street updating a blackboard with currency conversion rates, it’s just another example of someone who is passionate about serving others, in his own unique way.  It reminds me that to be a servant means we have to release our calendar to the Lord and allow God to interrupt our schedules as He sees fit.  Let’s continue to pray that we would see interruptions as “divine appointments” and opportunities to lead through service.

I recently camped out in Matthew 20 – specifically the passage where James and John try to edge out the other disciples and request that, in His kingdom, one sit at Jesus’ right hand and the other on his left.  Funny – the Matthew account has this request coming from their mother!  (If you want to be great, it probably is not the best approach to get your mom to make the request.)

Instead of a tounge-lashing, Jesus takes the time to walk them through the definition of “true greatness.”  In short, He teaches them (and us) that greatness is not measured by power, popularity, looks, athletic prowess, or star power.  He turns that whole paradigm on its head and says “whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave.” (Matthew 20:25-27)

So, “true greatness” is all about service…and not just in the “big things” but everyday, as people with needs cross your path.  So, as we serve, let’s not forget our greatest “model” – who “came not to be served, but to serve.” (Matthew 20:28).

This is a great video and well worth the time.  It’s well done, edgy, and all of that, but more importantly is a great reminder that we, the Church, are God’s hands and feet in the world…we are His “Plan A” and there is no “Plan B”!

If you’re working on scripture memory in The Summit, you’re memorizing Ephesians 2:8-9 this week.  These verses should rightly be near the top of those we commit to memory and remind us that we are saved by God’s GRACE through FAITH…and not through WORKS.  However, what are we saved to do?  The next verse (v. 10) explains that “We are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus FOR good works, that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.” (NET). 

So, today, let’s look for opportunities to serve others, remembering that God prepared good works for us to do…and we were made to do them as our joyful response to what He did for us!