Missionary – Singing with the Spirit

1, January 27, 20141, January 27, 2014

The Difference a Word Makes?

Terry Harmon, my good friend and brother in Christ, has begun a new work with his family in Denver, Colorado. He has served more than 20 years in the mission fields of Russia and Ukraine, but in the last few years has been drawn back to the states where he worked as a pulpit minister. Just this year, however, Terry has returned to preach to the Russian speaking people, only this time on American soil. He and his family are involved in a work that specifically reaches out to the Russians living in Denver.

This article from Terry features a glimpse at the work that God is doing through him and his wife as they strive to serve the Lord and spread His word. Thanks to my brother and friend for his example of service and devotion as he shares THE story of salvation.

In the Russian language, like some others, there is no use of the articles ‘a,’ ‘an’ and ‘the.’ When you and I speak we find it necessary to specify an item as being general (a song we sang last week) or to be specific (the song we sang before the lesson). When the Russian speaks, they think about their sentences being specific or general, but their language doesn’t express it. As foreigners learn to speak English or enroll in an English class they take the time to discuss and explain the phraseology of the English sentences using these articles. Understanding the difference between ‘a’ or ‘an’ being non-specific while ‘the’ has a specific meaning is important to properly communicate with each other. Another example we might give is, “This is a dog” compared to “This is the dog.”

In all reality, this is what the ultimate goal is in teaching the difference about God’s Church to the Russian speaking people. It may be a bit of a surprise to Americans, but many Russians are very ‘religious,’ with some of them knowing the Bible quite well. They may be wondering why there is a need for another church. Our intent (the inner-city Russian ministry in Denver, Colorado) is to help people not to be part of a religious group, or to be associated with an organization that is following the Word of God in part, but to read the Scriptures and be completely convinced that we must be THE Church that we read about in the Bible. We must teach and preach how one becomes a Christian accurately, then how one is able to remain faithful, and finally how we must worship the Lord the way He intended.

It is critically important that all people (Russian & English speaking alike) understand that we do not get to decide how we want to worship Him. Rather, we have an obligation to respect and obey the ways God wants to be worshiped. No more and no less. While we can never be perfect, God’s Word is! And if we will simply read it and obey it, all people will respond as Peter did in John 6: 68, 69 “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” (NAS) We long to share with the Russian people that they can be part of His church, the Church that Jesus died for and established (Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:23). And just as Aquila and Priscilla took Apollos aside and taught him the way of the Lord more accurately (Acts 18:24-26), so we want to do the same, so that as many might be saved and have eternal life.

Thanks Terry, for the reminder of how important a single, ‘three-letter’ word can be.

1, January 29, 20131, January 31, 2013

Remembering Italy

This morning as I was catching up on some old friends (via Facebook), I notice there was a ‘friend request’ from an unfamiliar name.

The name of the lady was one I didn’t recognize and therefore didn’t know. Most of the time I’m happy to accept request from people I’ve met or acquaintances from my past, but when I don’t know someone who ‘whats to be my friend’, I don’t click ‘YES’. And as I stated, I didn’t recognize this lady. However, this one was different. Along with the request, she sent me a note explaining that she had been in Italy during the summer of 1983

(29 years ago) and stayed with my family for 2 weeks. I figured she had to be a Harding campaigner because my husband and I hosted the group several summers providing them housing in our small apartment. (I guess sleeping on the air mattresses and sharing ONE bathroom was memorable to her.) Our co-workers/fellow missionaries usually kept the girls since they had 2 bathrooms. But on this occasion we kept the girls. To make a long story short…I decided to accept her friend request. She said she’d like to catch up with us, so I sent her a reply email along with the friend acceptance.

As it turns out, she came two summers, then at the end of the second campaign she and another girl worked with us in Italy for 4 weeks, staying in our home half of the time. She and her husband now live in Memphis, Tennessee and have a 15 yr. old son. They enjoy the opportunities to attend Harding University Lectureship each fall. She told me that the months she spent working in Italy really strengthened her faith and that experience has meant a lot to her over the years.

My point with all of this is simple, even when we aren’t intentionally trying to influence or help someone, we are! What is important is to realize that our influence might be for the good or it might be for the bad. People come in and out our lives every day. We have the opportunity to either show them God’s love and grow closer to Him…or not. I see a great lesson in this. Living our everyday lives we need to be careful that we are living for God so that we are a good influence for Him, even when we aren’t aware of others. Truthfully, I do not remember those months almost 30 years ago. But obviously she did. This Facebook request serves as a strong reminder of how important it is to live our lives thinking about our actions, our words and our example.

Donna

Thanks again to Donna for sharing another insightful lesson on how impacting (and important) our Christian example should be. This incident reminds me of a song from years ago. The words go as follows, “It is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned. And it is in dying that we are born, to eternal life. Make me an instrument of your peace. I want to know what it’s like to follow you…” If you’re remembering this song you’ll surely recall the next line…“When men look at me, I want them to see, the Light of the World inside.” I wonder how many of us would have someone from 30 years ago remember our example (our light) and send us a ‘friend request?’ Can you remember someone who impacted your life!

1, August 5, 20121, August 4, 2012

Who Is Going to Win?

Several of my best friends are ministers in the Lord’s church. Some have been in mission fields around the world while others have served the Lord stateside.

One of my best friends has worked as a missionary in Poland, Russia and most recently the Ukraine. We have been friends since the late 1980’s and I’m honored to call Terry Harmon my brother. Just recently Terry and his family moved back to the states where he currently serves the Lord’s church in Flagler, Colorado. Each month Terry writes a bulletin article that is shared with that small congregation and, with his permission, today we all get the chance to read his thoughts about winning and losing…

“Every once in a while, when the kids are off to bed and there is a chance to sit down for a few minutes, I will turn on a taped game of some sporting event. The advantage of this is that you can watch a 3 1/2 hour football game in about thirty or forty minutes. If you fast forward through all the commercials, halftime entertainment and commentators remarks (between plays), you can watch the game so much quicker. This is the reason I love to watch games that have been recorded. There is, however, one slight drawback (although it doesn’t bother me). Many times you already know the outcome of the game.

It has interested me for some time now, that while I may know who won the game, for those who are AT the game, siting in the stands, the outcome is still undetermined. This is especially important when it is a really close game and the score goes back and forth. Perhaps you can relate to this, sitting in the stands and thinking, “who is going to win?” During these contest of skill, the camera will often zoom in on fans nervously watching the score board, trying to calculate whether or not their team has enough time to pull out a win. The expression on these faces is often priceless. Nervous and downtrodden at times, they can change to upbeat and excited at the moment their team overcomes.

A few years ago it dawned on me that our lives as Christians are really just like a ‘taped sporting event.’ It may not feel like it at times when our lives are beaten down by Satan’s attacks. When situations test us and conflicts challenge our daily walk. But we must remember, the outcome has already been set. It just doesn’t seem like it as we face the struggles of life. One of the greatest lessons we learn in the New Testament is that if we as Christians are faithful to the Lord until death…WE WIN! The story has already been written, and God guarantees the victory. So we just have to trust, obey and keep fighting until, ‘the race is run’.

Believe in God’s word and take comfort from reading I John 5:4, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.” Also you’ll remember Revelation 7:14-15, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne shall spread his tabernacle over them.”

Note the present tense of the verb in the last verse, “They (we) serve Him day and night…” God sees all of this as it will happen in the future, but for us it seems so far off and distant. We need to realize that there is really nothing to be nervous about and nothing to agonize over. The bottom line is, if we stay faithful with the Lord, THE VICTORY IS OURS! The story (the game) is already complete.”

Thanks Terry for the reminder that we should have courage and the faith to know the outcome is secure. And of course…this also reminds me of the perfect hymn:

“Encamped along the hills of light, ye Christian soldiers, rise. And press the battle ere the night shall veil the glowing skies. Against the foe in vales below let all our strength be hurled; Faith is the victory, we know, that overcomes the world. His banner over us is love, our sword, the Word of God; We tread the road the saints above with shouts of triumph trod. By faith they, like a whirlwind’s breath, swept on, over every field; The faith by which they conquered death is still our shining shield. On every hand the foe we find drawn up in dread array. Let tents of easy be left behind and onward to the fray. Salvation’s helmet on each head and faith all girt about the earth shall tremble beneath our tread and echo with our shout. Faith is the Victory! Faith is the Victory! O glorious victory that over comes the world. (NOTICE THIS LAST VERSE) To him that overcomes the foe white raiment shall be given; before the angels he shall know His name confessed in heaven; Then onward from the hills of light, our hearts with love aflame, we’ll vanquish all the host of night in Jesus conquering name.”

Tag: Missionary