The MAF Blog: Worldwide Pulse

Posts Tagged ‘jesus’

The Art of Balance

Posted on: February 7th, 2012 by John Boyd |

“I’m so busy…” has become the catchphrase of our hectic times. We want to live our lives in a way that honors God, yet it’s so easy to get trapped in a place where we coexist with the tyranny of the urgent. Instead of taking each “emergency” as it happens and using it as an opportunity to grow, we simply try to get through it. Our lives can become a juggling act.

If we desire to honor God in every aspect of our lives, we must come to a place of balance. An even-keel approach is a healthier approach. Life is not a battle of the wills through which we must “soldier on” no matter how difficult things get. Asking God to give us wisdom, and trusting Him when life gets challenging, is a far more growth-inducing response than digging in to survive an onslaught. Getting worked up and anxious never solves anything.

Balance occurs when we prayerfully evaluate needs and commitments. Should we assist someone with their ministry simply because we were asked, and we feel bad for them? Or should we decline because that takes us away from our family for another night each week?

It’s important to grapple with such questions in an authentic way, staying focused on the current mission to which God has called us. To do so we must occasionally escape the frantic pace of life to connect with God and hear His heart for us. It’s what keeps us from straying too far off course.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”

Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. – Mark 1:35-39, NIV

Jesus could have spent every waking moment with needy people. But even Christ needed that time with God, that time to reflect and recharge. Instead of letting the busyness of life get the best of Him, Jesus maintained the balance He needed to fulfill the mission He had been sent to earth to do. May we also be so balanced in heeding God’s call.

Lessons Learned

Posted on: December 30th, 2011 by Between the Verses |

“Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:9-10

The last day of school before break, I was having a mentor meeting with one of my teachers. By five o’clock, she and I were both ready to close the door on the school term. As I was leaving, I noticed a K-W-L chart on Christmas. Her local first grade students had posted what they Know, Want to know, and Learned about a study on Christmas.

“How did it go?” I inquired of the unusual occurrence in our closed context.

Her weary face lit-up with joy. “Look at their questions! ‘Why is Jesus important?’ ‘Is Jesus God’s son?’ ‘Why did God send Jesus?’ ‘Why are gifts given on Christmas?’ Can you believe this?”

I marveled at the sharing opportunity. “How did you respond?”

“I couldn’t believe, after being sick all week and not wanting to be here, I was given this opening. I thought for a few moments and decided to tell the Good News story. For the first time in the whole year, my 22 first graders were mesmerized and I was uninterrupted for twenty-five minutes. Their faces were glued to mine the WHOLE time!”

She pointed to notes that were on the Learned section of the chart. “God loves me.” And, “God gave a Gift.”

We both wiped our eyes and the fatigue of months of work proved itself in ways we hadn’t imagined.

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.” Isaiah 40:28

God’s Plan for Timeless Congo

Posted on: December 27th, 2011 by Nick Frey | 1 Comment

It’s interesting the way one day flows into the next. We put limits on them and say “at midnight we shall start to call this a new day.” We dissect the day even further into hours, minutes and seconds. At least, that’s what we do in our North American culture.

In Africa, the sun rises at about 6 a.m. and sets 12 hours later. I knew this fact well in advance of arriving here in September but didn’t think it would significantly affect our lives. Because of this constant, the seasons also don’t change too much. What this does is create an environment in which is it hard to tell one day from the next, or one month from the next, or even one year from the next. And so time just keeps flowing on and on. Not much preparation is required for “winter,” not much attention is put toward creatures coming to life again in “spring,” and not much is recorded in terms of one “summer’s” heat to the next.

Culture here seems to have frozen. Because of the monotonous way time unfolds, it remains, in many ways, very similar to biblical times. The biblical principal of needing to care for the poor, for orphans and widows, is very visible. Oral stories and traditions are extremely valuable. Transportation and traveling is quite difficult.

There have been many Bible passages that have come to mind as we explore this country. I can almost picture Jesus walking down a dirt path and seeing a blind man sitting beside it, begging passersby for money or food. People crying out for justice and truth are everywhere. Then I think of Jesus saying “blessed are those…”

I have no doubt in my mind that God has been preparing Jocelyn and me to live here since the day He brought us into this world––weaving the strands of time together so that we learned the lessons we needed and met the people who’d help us along. His majestic symphony has been played out as we chased “our” dreams––of flying, photography, psychology, and others––all to be used for His glory instead of our personal gain.

We see much opportunity here. This place is rich with beautiful people, many of whom love God and serve Him with more faith than I have at times. Abundant in resources and overflowing with gorgeous landscapes, this jungle land shows off the greatness bestowed it by the Lord.

As we follow the way God has put before us, we are eager to serve Him with Mission Aviation Fellowship here in Kinshasa, DRC. It’s almost like being royalty if you belong with MAF, whose history here stretches far and wide. We are proud to be a part of the good reputation MAF has and we hope to continue improving it.

Though it may seem like times don’t change and weather stays the same, we know that God’s plan is being worked out in this land and its people; and we are excited to discover what’s around the next corner!

The Christmas Art

Posted on: December 22nd, 2011 by Jim Manley | 2 Comments

That Christmas morning I was off duty. Mike listened to the radio for emergency calls. I sat across the road, adorned tree behind me, front window view before me. In the distance a towering storm moved slowly across the Amazon Jungle. Wind lashed treetops. Rain drenched leaf, ground and animal. Monolithic, powerful, and oblivious to the affairs of men, it advanced inexorably to assault the Andes Mountains.

But the affairs of men continued. The distinctive crack of the long propellers fitted on our C-185’s announced Mike’s take-off. I, however, turned as Regina shepherded excited kids to the awaiting gift pile. Always a good time. Always a special time. Always the essence of Christmas — the generosity of giving, the humility of receiving.

Meanwhile, during our fun, a rare giver never made it to the hospital, but died aboard Mike’s airplane. Andrés Mashient succumbed to cancer at 60 having lived among people who rarely reached 50 before accident or spear claimed them. No one recognized the infirmities of old age.

An Atshuar Father

He and I spoke no more than a half-dozen words in the same language. I came from middle-class California. He came from the Atshuar tribe of the Amazon Jungle. I studied science, math, literature and flying in college. He learned nature’s ways, spear making, and the art of ambushing animal and man. I pursued an aviation and business career. He practiced witchcraft and revenge killing. I met Jesus as a hitchhiking hippie. He encountered Jesus in a dream.

The Lord transformed Andrés from fierce warrior to compassionate father. He spent years seeking out those he orphaned, rescuing those he found. He brought them together, raised them as his own, and shepherded them as they married. When they became parents they stayed with him in the village they named after him — Mashient.

To me, Christmas meant star-covered snowy nights, hot chocolate, carols, and lighted trees. Andrés saw snow only as the white peak of a distant volcano. His people’s music had just three notes. He drank chicha made from pre-chewed yucca, ate bananas, giant catfish and tapir. His Christmas differed from mine in all respects — except one.

Andrés possessed nothing to give. Instead, he imitated our Father by becoming a father to the fatherless. He broadcast God’s good will to lost boys and girls. He gave what he could not keep to the powerless who could not repay.

Here on Earth I rejoice that Andrés now delights in the undimmed Father of Christmas. And I do revel in our own celebration, dim shadow though it might be. But I confess that, in this season I still miss my surprising friend and how he taught me the art of giving by giving himself.

Compassion Flight

Posted on: June 30th, 2011 by Tripp Flythe |

It was a Saturday, a day we don’t normally fly, and I got a call from the MAF office for a flight request. There was a patient who wanted to return to her home village. In the Dayak culture here in Indonesia, if someone has a terminal illness, they will usually return home to be surrounded by family and friends as they await the inevitable. I’ve often flown elderly people home who I wasn’t sure could even survive the flight.

On this day there were only three passengers, which meant I could take my four-year-old son along. I told Drew and he was ecstatic. However, when the passengers arrived at our hangar, I began to realize the sadness of the situation. A 28-year-old woman had an incurable, malignant brain tumor. They had just arrived from the big city of Surabaya, where they had gone for medical help but were told there was nothing more they could do. Her husband was with her, along with much of their extended family who had come to the airport to see her for the last time. Her two young children, one about the same age as my son Drew, were waiting at their home village of Long Bawan.

As I looked into her eyes, which were rapidly pacing back and forth, my heart welled up with compassion. I couldn’t help but think of my own wife and our three young children. We all prayed after everyone was loaded in the airplane, and her family said their last goodbyes. Her husband held her hand the entire flight as she lay down in the back of the plane.

Where was the hope in this situation? We like to talk about saving lives, villages coming to Christ, and lives being changed. As a guy, and especially as a pilot/mechanic, I like to solve problems and fix things. However, this was a time to simply show compassion, just as Jesus did to the hurting of His generation.

One day God will establish a new earth with no more tears and no more death, but until then, we are reminded that we live in a fallen world.

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.” Revelation 21:4 (NLT)

When is the last time you either gave or received compassion?