THE COMPASSIONATE EDGE MARCH 2021

Hello Friends,

Ever notice how something can have both a positive and negative effect? Take for example pressure (or stress). Just enough can help our physical, mental, or spiritual muscles to grow. Too little can cause atrophy. And, as we all well know, too much stress can cause damage.

2020 was a pressure-packed year. At times, I felt frustrated and overwhelmed by it. But other times I've appreciated how we as a ministry (and a ministry couple) have grown because of it.

RISING TO THE CHALLENGE: A global pandemic challenged us to do ministry differently this year and I appreciate how CompassionLink rose to the challenge. In February, CompassionLink hosted a virtual missions trip (VMT) to Siberia. Registered participants from all over the US received an experience box (full of culturally relevant materials) and evenings filled with teaching and training by our host missionaries in Siberia (via Zoom) and our wonderful colleagues at CompassionLink.

WHERE COMPASSIONLINK THRIVES: Blessed to manage a huge compound in Costa Rica (that used to be the Royal Ranger campground), David and Amy Cartwright are all about equipping national pastors with Bible training and church planting tools. Likewise, the Cartwrights desire to empower indigenous pastors with sustainable community development techniques to help them be self-supporting. Of course, this is where CompassionLink thrives. For the last few months, Stuart has been working closely with the Cartwrights to make this a reality. Please pray for this continuing work and the opportunity to travel there soon. To learn more about what the Cartwrights are doing, click here.

Gardens are as varied as the cultures they grow in. 

Stuart and the sustainable development team help find creative solutions for all sorts of growing conditions.

ONGOING TRAINING: Recently, Stuart participated in CHE training. CHE (Community Health Evangelism) is another exciting and proven ministry strategy that integrates evangelism, discipleship, and church planting with community health and development. To learn more about CHE’s impact and purpose click here.

Tilapia eggs going into the tumbler are just a part of the circle of life.

PREPARING NEW MISSIONARIES: As IM's regional trainer, Wendy welcomed our new missionaries to International Ministries during our spring candidate orientation. At AGWM we expect our candidates to be fully versed in our core values and competencies, but we also recognize that this is a life-long process that only begins at orientation. Wendy continues the teaching throughout the year so that our missionaries are continuously equipped.

A YEAR OF LONGING: Lent is the season of longing and waiting. Giving up something to focus more intently on something (or someone) else. March 2020 began the longest season of Lent I've ever experienced, if you know what I mean. As I look back on the past year I wonder: How well did I wait in the longing? How steadfast was I in the discomfort? How patient was I with the disruption? I won't answer out loud, but God knows where I shined bright and where I stumbled in the dark.

In 2017, Stuart and I experienced a deadly and devastating earthquake in Mexico City. In a matter of minutes, hundreds of people lost their lives, and thousands became displaced. People didn't complain about staying home; they had no home to go back to. For months, many had no job to go back to. And too many others had no mothers or fathers or children to go back to, ever. 

Sometimes our fasts and sacrifices are intentional, like participating in Lent. Other times they are imposed, like during a pandemic or the aftermath of an earthquake. In either case, we have a choice in how we'll respond. We can face the challenge, grow through it with grace, and produce the fruit of the Spirit or we can curse the darkness, shrivel up with selfishness, and die on the vine.

Jesus calls his disciples to do hard things. As a US-born Christian, I find myself in the unenviable position as a citizen of two competing kingdoms. One calls me to love my country above all else and fight for my individual rights and one calls me to love God with my whole heart and lay down my rights to love my neighbor as myself. Why do I struggle with such an obvious choice? Only one kingdom will reign forever.

Like a roman centurion, the season of longing remains vigilant. The cross waits for me. Yet the dawning sun pierces the horizon and bids me to wait in hope.

Stuart & Wendy

GLOBALLY ASSIGNED /GLOBALLY ENGAGED

SERVING THE WORLD

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We, at CompassionLink, are a team of experienced, educated, and equipped missionary personnel who partner with missionaries, community leaders, and ministers across the globe. In a nutshell, we serve those who serve; we equip those who equip; and we train those who train to establish a strong indigenous church worldwide.

The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose . . . 

We are God’s servants, working together (1 Cor 3:8-9 NRSV).

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It begins with ashes

Today is Ash Wednesday. Growing up in the Episcopal Church, I knew this was the day to bow in humble prayer, receive ashes on my forehead to symbolize humility before God, and to give up something for Lent. On the church calendar, Lent is the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter (not counting Sundays); a time set aside for fasting, repenting, and reflecting on Christ’s suffering.

Although we fasted individually, the church gave up something corporately as well. Traditionally, purple linens (the color of royalty, but also of humility) covered the cross, no flowers adorned the sanctuary, and we refrained from speaking or singing any Hallelujahs in the service.

Anyone who has fasted for any length of time knows the joy of partaking when the fast is over. What a pleasure to arrive on Easter Sunday morning to witness the cross victoriously draped in white, festive lilies and tulips embellishing the sanctuary, and triumphant voices raised in song: Christ the Lord has Risen Today, Ha-lle-lu-jah!

Alas, this season of humility reminds us though, that death must come before the resurrection and the cross must come before the crown. Such is the season of Lent. It begins with ashes, but it ends with beauty. I may not have the opportunity to attend an Ash Wednesday service today, but I will spend the next 40 days giving up something to remind me of what Christ gave up for me.

Originally published here.

It's not just about giving up something

"Fasting confirms our utter dependence upon God by finding in Him a source of sustenance beyond food." Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines

Many of the spiritual disciplines I practice today, I learned as a child. For example, every year during the 40 days before Easter, my family and I fasted. But as kids, we didn't call it fasting, we called it giving up something for Lent. And while we may have given up simple pleasures like candy or gum, it still afforded us the opportunity to identify with Jesus and his time in the wilderness.

Wendy Lynn Mitchell, St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Confirmation 1975

However, long before Jesus entered the desert, the Lord has been teaching his people about fasting. The people of Isaiah’s day also fasted and anticipated God’s appropriate response to their self-denial. Yet, the Lord seemed ambivalent and inattentive to their actions: “Why have we fasted and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves and you have not noticed?” Isaiah 58.3a

Contrary to their belief, though, God had noticed their displays, he just wasn't impressed by them: “On the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers ... your fasting ends in quarreling and strife ... is this what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?” Isaiah 58.3b-4 

Fortunately, the Lord set his people straight about what he expected: “Is not this the kind of fast I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter -- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” Isaiah 58.6-7

When we humble ourselves in a fast dedicated to the Lord, we not only recognize our utter dependence on God, it also enables us to empathize with those who are suffering. As we do so, our softened hearts will desire justice for the mistreated and prompt us to act on their behalf. This idea however, is not unique to the Old Testament but manifests itself in the life and ministry of Jesus.

After his 40 day fast, Jesus left the wilderness, entered the synagogue and declared, “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD's favor has come.” Luke 4.18.19

The older I get, the more I realize, fasting is a more profound and complex practice than I ever imagined. Fasting opens my eyes to see God and the people around me from his perspective. It allows me to identify with the suffering of Jesus and with the marginalized. Fasting revitalizes my faith and inspires me to connect it to my works. 

Lynne Hybels presents a challenge to us once offered to her: "Years ago a friend said that if I read Isaiah 58 for 30 days in a row, it would turn my life upside-down. I did. She was right. Try it."

In the next 40 days, let's be mindful that a true fast isn't just about giving up, it's about giving out. As a daily reading of Isaiah 58 will remind us.

Originally posted here on 2.17.2015

I know what I'm longing for, so I'll wait.

I made matzo the other day. I want to share Communion weekly with Stuart during Lent, so I made matzo last week in preparation. In my definitively un-kosher kitchen, with my thoroughly gentile hands I mixed together some flour, salt, olive oil and water in a glass bowl. I rolled it out paper-thin on my Mexican-made table. I pierced it properly with a fork. I baked it till it bubbled and browned on my handy pizza stone.

I made matzo last week, because I wanted to bring something of myself to the Lord's table this week. An offering created from my own time and effort. I enjoyed the experience. 

I'll buy the grape juice.

I wrote an order of service for our shared meal. Now, I'm all ready to wait. All ready to wait in the season of Lent as we pray and fast. Ready to contemplate the big themes of life and death. Sin and redemption. Sacrifice and obedience.

Growing up near the coast of southern Connecticut, our family spent countless days on the beach. I've walked miles upon miles on sandy coves and rocky piers, gathered a hundred pailfuls of pebbles and sea shells, jumped through a thousand plus waves crashing to the shore. Give me a blanket and a coastline and I could wait for hours contemplating life and love within earshot of the ebb and flow of the tide.

To smell the salt air, to hear the crashing of the waves, to feel the spray of the sea on my face brings a sense of belonging no other place on earth provides for me. I can wait on the beach. I can relax. I can breathe. It's there I long to remain. To wait for one more wave to crash in. 

Just one more.

Ebb and flow. The beach reminds me of the importance of rhythm in our lives. Its consistency, its constancy stabilizes me. The tide comes in. We wait. The tide goes out. We wait. We know what we long for, so we wait. 

For those of us who allow the liturgical calendar to dictate our seasonal rhythms, we notice that the Church Universal spends much of its time waiting in pregnant expectation. In Advent, we wait with hope for our Savior's birth. In Lent, we wait with ashes for our Lord's resurrection. In the days before Pentecost, we wait together for the promised Holy Spirit. We know what we long for, so we wait.

When ordinary time finally arrives, when the consistent ebb and flow of waiting and celebrating, waiting and celebrating, waiting and celebrating finally ends we may think: alas, the waiting is over. Except, it isn't. In reality, even in what we call ordinary time, it doesn't take long to remember that the Church remains in a persistent state of waiting for the blessed hope. 

Still pregnant. Still waiting. Still hoping.

The tide is still out on the final great expectation. But, in eager expectation, I'll grab my blanket, head for the coast and I'll keep a weather eye on the horizon. 

I know what I'm longing for, so I'll wait.

Watch, Pray, Act, Give: Teen Challenge Mexico City

Watch: Three Teen Challenge residents share their testimony in this video. Although it is all in Spanish even if you don't speak the language I think you can understand their story as they share through art. Enjoy and please pray for Teen Challenge Mexico City/Reto a la Juventud and its directors Gamaliel and Alejandra.

Pray: Blessed Lord, you ministered to all who came to you: Look with compassion upon all who through addiction have lost their health and freedom. Restore to them the assurance of your unfailing mercy; remove from them the fears that beset them; strengthen them in the work of their recovery; and to those who care for them, give patient understanding and persevering love. Amen. (BCP)

Act: “This is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.” Isaiah 58.6-7

Give: Every heartfelt gift or monthly commitment (no matter the amount) brings us closer to our return to Mexico City (and we are very close). Thank you for your support.

The Practice of Giving Up (and leaning in to God)

“Fasting confirms our utter dependence upon God by finding in Him a source of sustenance beyond food.” Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines

Many of the spiritual disciplines I practice today, I learned as a child. For example, every year during the 40 days before Easter, my family and I fasted. But as kids, we didn't call it fasting, we called it “giving up something for Lent.” And while we may have given up simple pleasures like candy or gum, it still afforded us the opportunity to identify with Jesus and his time in the wilderness.

However, long before Jesus entered the desert, the Lord has been teaching his people about fasting. The people of Isaiah’s day also fasted and anticipated God’s appropriate response to their self-denial. Yet, the Lord seemed ambivalent and inattentive to their actions: “Why have we fasted and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves and you have not noticed?” Isaiah 58.3a

Contrary to their belief, though, God had noticed their displays, he just wasn't impressed by them: “On the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers ... your fasting ends in quarreling and strife ... is this what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?” Isaiah 58.3b-4 

Fortunately, the Lord set his people straight about what he expected: “This is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.” Isaiah 58.6-7

When we humble ourselves in a fast dedicated to the Lord, we not only recognize our utter dependence on God, it also enables us to empathize with those who are suffering. As we do so, our softened hearts will desire justice for the mistreated and prompt us to act on their behalf. This idea however, is not unique to the Old Testament but manifests itself in the life and ministry of Jesus.

After his 40 day fast, Jesus left the wilderness, entered the synagogue and declared, “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD's favor has come.” Luke 4.18.19

The older I get, the more I realize, fasting is a more profound and complex practice than I ever imagined. Fasting opens my eyes to see God and the people around me from his perspective. It allows me to identify with the suffering of Jesus and with the marginalized. Fasting revitalizes my faith and inspires me to connect it to my works. 

Stuart and I will be “giving up something for Lent” this year and we encourage you to join us. We trust that as Jesus prepared for ministry by entering into an intense season of prayer and fasting, so likewise God will prepare us for ministry in Mexico City. Please pray that we raise the last 10% of our financial budget by Easter so that we will be sent to proclaim release to the captives of drug addiction and to set at liberty those who are oppressed by the sex trade.

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Every heartfelt gift or monthly commitment (no matter the amount) brings us closer to our return to Mexico City. Thank you!

Kýrie at the 9/11 Memorial

Sophia and I spent 3 jam-packed, fun-filled days in NYC with the Leo HS choir. One very special day included a visit to the 9/11 Memorial where the choir sang Kýrie by René Clausen. 

The One World Trade Center, or the Freedom Tower as it is colloquially known, stands tall above the Memorial.

Sophia and the Leo HS choir prepare to sing.

The choir's emotional rendition gathered a crowd who in turn showed their heartfelt appreciation with well-deserved praise and applause.

René Clausen wrote Kýrie in response to the events of 9/11. Actually, a part of a larger body of work, "Memorial," Kýrie is essentially a plea for peace and mercy.

As we head into Semana Santa or Holy Week as we call it here, may this be our prayer as well.

For those traveling on the road to Emmaus . . .

Although suffering and grief may seem like odd subjects to blog about during the holiday season, I have never known death to check the calendar for a convenient time to visit. So with respect to friends and family who have suffered loss recently (and those who are walking with them) I dedicate this post to you . . . But We Had Hoped

Angel Wings and Anginetti

The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted, “Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hail to the King of Israel!" ~John 12:12-13 (NLT)

As Palm Sunday approaches I recall once again the holidays I celebrated as a child within the traditional context. Palm Sunday was a special holiday where I grew up; a memorable event that began at church and extended throughout the day with family. At Saint Peter's Episcopal Church, every worshiper received a few strands of palm; the long thin variety from the fan of the palm tree. As we waved the palm branches we sang, All Glory, Laud, and Honor and then during Sunday School we would fashion the palms into crosses to be shared with family and friends later in the day.

It Begins with Ashes

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. Growing up in the Episcopal Church, I knew this was the day to bow in humble prayer, receive ashes on your forehead to symbolize humility before God, and to give up something for Lent. On the church calendar, Lent is the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter (not counting Sundays) and is a time set aside for fasting, repenting and reflecting on Christ’s suffering.

In the church, although we fasted individually, corporately we gave up something as well. Traditionally, the church covered the cross with purple (the color of royalty but also of humility), no flowers adorned the sanctuary and we refrained from speaking or singing any Hallelujahs in the service. 

Anyone who has fasted for any length of time knows the joy of partaking when the fast is over. What a pleasure it was to arrive on Easter Sunday morning to witness the cross victoriously draped in white, festive lilies and tulips embellishing the sanctuary and triumphant voices raised in song: Christ the Lord has Risen Today, Ha-lle-lu-jah!

Alas, this season of humility reminds us though, that death must come before the resurrection and the cross must come before the crown. Such is the season of Lent. It begins with ashes but it ends with beauty. I may not have the opportunity to attend an Ash Wednesday service tomorrow, but I will spend the next 40 days giving up something to remind me of what Christ gave up for me.

Giving Up

“What are you giving up?” I heard that phrase every year as a child growing up in New England, in anticipation of Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent. On the Christian church calendar, Lent is the observance of the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting, in preparation for his earthly ministry. During this time, Christians choose to give up or fast something to identify with Jesus’ humility and suffering. As a child, I may not have understood all the nuances of Lent, but the practice has remained with me all these years.

Although a Christian can fast at any time, Lent is the seasonal occasion when we as the Body of Christ fast together to prepare for the holiest day on the Christian calendar. Fasting is the act of refraining from a particular food or activity to feast on the Lord. There are many forms fasting can take; the Daniel fast (no meat), the dessert fast (no sweets), or the TV fast (no trash). Most fasts are deliberate and intentional but some are not.

Although, we enjoy trying different foods and recipes in the countries where we serve, sometimes you just crave certain American foods that simply may not be available. When we lived in Jamaica we could not find brown sugar. Jamaica has raw sugar (which they call brown sugar) but they do not have the kind you need to make chocolate chip cookies. We had been in Jamaica for over a year before I was able to make apple crisp and I had forgotten how good that simple dessert was until I was able to finally take that first bite. Fasting helped me to appreciate the gift of brown sugar.

Lest you think giving up something for Lent is like making a New Year’s resolution; it is not. Most resolutions take the form of giving up something for good for the purpose of self-improvement but fasting is giving up something for a time for soul-improvement. Through this period of self-denial, we learn to identify with the Lord and appreciate his provision.

So, what are you giving up for Lent? Whatever it may be, or whatever form your fast may take allow me to pose a challenge: as you are giving up for God, pray for souls around the world to give in to him.