Man I'm RICH!

"I just spent three day's wages on a bag of cereal!" These thoughts cross your mind in Uganda.

First of all, I have a maid here. Four days a week, our friend and employee comes to our house and works miracles that we as spoiled Americans have no hope of accomplishing in a house with no appliances. Then, we pay her 5,000 Ugandan Shillings per day. That comes to about $3, and she is banking here because the average annual income is $365.

Second, I have enough money here to buy a government post. Now that's rich. I'm beginning to believe that if I threw down enough cash, they would hire me. This is just an untested theory at this point, but everything I have seen points to it's validity.

Third, I'm a target. My friend who was a missionary for many years in East Africa calls it "shaking the mango tree", because people will come up to you and lay out their problems, looking for you to give money to solve them. You have to be a wise investor in this culture.

Before I left, our church did a series called "How to Be Rich", and I'm grateful, because it helped me to prepare my heart and understand the responsibilities that God places on the rich. Rather than writing out everything I learned. I'll just invite you to check out the series yourself. If you're thinking "But I'm not rich," then start with week one and begin to realize how you compare to the global economy.

“WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE!”

I understand that sometimes my son just parrots whatever it is I tell him to say, but there are some instances where he slowly begins to “get it”. I first taught Phin this phrase after I learned he had a habit of chasing off birds that would venture onto or lawn or, if they were really brave, our porch. He would often combine a dead sprint with a ferocious growl, and it would accomplish the task. When he says it, it sounds nothing like the commercial, but it is always combined with a varying degree of growl, and it warms my heart.

At this same time, we added the cat to our family, and I began to realize this could be a great opportunity to really start teaching my son that one of our roles as men is that of protector. So now we go through a progression. So you can often hear, "We must protect this kitty! We must protect this mommy! We must protect this house" resounding in his tent and out on the porch and throughout our small house.

They say that you really start learning something when you teach it, and, whoever "they" are, they got this one right. I've learned tons about being a protector and how God protects us as I begin to pass this on to my son.

First of all, we protect by our presence. When the cat ventures out on the porch, we stay nearby in case, as Hope is paranoid about, an adventurous hawk decides to dive onto the porch and swoop away with our new pet. The Bible is riddled with verses and stories demonstrating God's consistent and calming presence in the midst of every trial.

Another way we protect the kitty is by removing her from a given situation. When Simba, the compound mutt, ventures around our house, Phinehas knows that he should immediately grab LC and make a mad dash, again because Hope is convinced that the dog would like nothing more than to make a delicious meal out of our precious fur ball. We run drills of this situation, and his skills develop daily. God often protects us by removing us from the situation. Jesus tells us to ask God to not lead us into temptation (Matt. 6:13), and Paul reminds us that He will always provide a way out of temptation (1 Cor. 10:13).

To be honest, these were the only ways I was teaching my son to protect LC. He came up with this last one all on his own, and I just learned from him. After we would run our "Simba's coming!" drill, I began listening to Phin's conversation with the cat. Most times, he would lean down and whisper to the kitty, "Simba gonna eat you," which brings us to our third means of protection: protection by instruction. This means allows us to protect even when we are not present. We see the Proverbs filled with this kind of protection. Over and over, fathers warn sons of impending dangers and plead with them to heed their instructions. God also protects this way by allowing us to hear His commands and choosing whether to obey or not. It seems like the longer I walk with Christ I experience His protection this way rather than through His presence or Him removing me from a situation.

What is Uganda's greatest need?

Another way that I've asked myself this question is "What do I dream for Uganda?" And I've been tempted to answer it in various forms.

As you walk around this country, you can't help but get overwhelmed by the poverty. Every where you look you see it; you can't escape it. As a result, I dream about a great influx of income into the country. I mean, Hope and I are RICH in this country. Even with some extravagances that we have worked into our budget (like cereal and swimming), we still have a ridiculous amount of discretionary income that we could give to start and maintain schools or support local missionaries, but there's a problem: It's rare to find a man or a woman that you trust enough that you're comfortable and excited about contributing, because dishonesty and deceit are so entrenched in the culture. As a result, we sit on the money we have set aside to invest in the poor of Uganda waiting for an opportunity we not only believe in but especially a man or a woman we trust.

Uganda needs jobs. I've met and chatted with a number of young people, and I'm beginning to see how valuable, precious, and rare jobs are here. So at times, I catch myself dreaming about starting a company and bringing industry to this country which would create a large cache of employment opportunities, but there's a problem: Corruption runs rampant here, so a business would eventually begin lining the pockets of the rich and marginalizing the poor. So even if I had a good idea for a way to create jobs, I would only launch it after I found a man or a woman who could be trusted to direct it toward the dual objectives of profit and community development.

So, here's the conclusion, and it's not a new one for me: Uganda needs laborers, men and women who have been captured by a Living Savior and rewired for Kingdom Work no matter where they are geographically or what they're doing professionally. I love the description of Jesus found in Matthew 9: "Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'"

Even Jesus realized his limitations as the God-man. He went, taught, preached, and healed, but the crowds were still there. He was only making a dent. When He took on flesh, He took on limitations. He couldn't go everywhere. He couldn't teach everyone. He couldn't preach everywhere. He couldn't heal everyone. So after he ministered, there were still needs; the crowds were still there, so he turned to his disciples, both literally, as in stage directions, and figuratively, as his hands and feet, as those who would continue when he was gone. And he challenged them first to look and see. I don't know about you, but my first tendency when I see great need is to pretend that the problem doesn't exist. But Jesus doesn't give them this option, because he lays out the problem\opportunity: "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few."

He calls them to look and see, but his next step is not "Do something." He invites them to ask God to punt out laborers into this harvest field. This is a prayer that Jesus seemed to pray everyday of His earthly ministry. It is a prayer that Jesus seemed to live everyday of His earthly ministry. He traveled from town to town, preaching and healing, but he never went without his men and even his women, those disciples who followed closely and heard the inner workings of his mind and ministry. Jesus spent day after day ministering to present needs as he taught and served, but he also invested in future needs by pouring into these 12 and 70 that he called "apostles" and "disciples".

So what do I dream for Uganda? I dream of laborers, men and women who have been captured by a Living Savior and rewired for Kingdom Work no matter where they are geographically or what they're doing professionally, because this is the hope of Uganda; this is the hope of the world.

A Long Story Leading to the Simple and the Absurd

"Naaman had it all, but his need was always before him."

I'm kind of glad that I'm a freelance speaker these days, because I've been able to work these words into every homily I've delivered over the last week. This story has captured me. And I happen to find myself in a culture where stories are essential to teaching any kind of lesson. Here's a "quick" run down of the story found in 2 Kings 5...

Naaman commanded the army of Aram. As a result, he was one of the King's chief officials. He also received a double portion of all the spoils that this army received in battle. They were doing well, so he was doing well. But here's the problem: Naaman had leprosy. Every morning, whether the battle yesterday was won or lost, he saw his need. The bandages reminded him of his need.

In the midst of the war with Israel, their neighbor to the south, Naaman had captured a young slave girl. Apparently Naaman was good to his slaves, because the girl offered this advice to Naaman's wife, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy."

Naaman received the information from his wife and immediately informed the King of Aram. The king responded by giving permission to go to the King of Israel, a letter in his own hand, and a substantial treasure to give in return to healing his adviser and friend. Naaman and his great caravan headed south.

After arriving and approaching the King of Israel, Naaman humbly and expectantly handed the King his friend's letter of request. You can imagine the King's surprise as he read, "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy." The king tore his robes, knowing he could not grant the request and thinking this opposing king was trying to start something.

Naaman left the throne room dejected, still aware of his need and feeling it even more deeply. As he traveled home, head hung low, a messenger stopped him and handed him a letter. The prophet Elisha had heard of his plight, his journey, and his faith and sent this reply, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed."

Okay, I know this story is getting long, but here's the twist. Naaman was furious. He thought this prophet would come, wave his hand over the leprosy, and speak some magical prayer. He expected this scene that would lead to his healing, but all he had was a letter telling him to go take a bath. The prophet must have foresaw this response, and that's why he sent a messenger and a letter. I firmly believe that Naaman would have killed Elisha if the prophet had said this in person. I love the sarcasm in Naaman's tirade, "Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?"

Naaman's servant steps in and reasons, "...if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it?" Naaman cools down and realizes that his servant was right. He would have done something great, why would he not do something simple? Quick finish: he bathed as the prophet instructed, and he was healed.

God wants obedience, aye? Sometimes it doesn't make sense, but he wants us to trust him enough to obey Him. I think God loves both the simple and the absurd. (I am in Uganda right now.) And yet, the flesh rebels from both. There's no glory for us in the simple, so we argue our way into a religion that is difficult enough to make us the victim. The absurd just offends us, because it offers no certainty outside of our confidence in the character of God. I find myself more and more following God down this path of the simple and the absurd. What about you guys? How have you seen God calling into these worlds that grate on our flesh?