Ambassador Presbyterian Church

Our Mexico Mission team returned safely after a week of hard work and ministry in Mexico. This is the fourth year that Ambassador has taken a team to Rio Verde in the central state of San Luis Potisi, and we are seeing the fruit of relationships established and partnerships built with the people and churches of this area. This years team was by far the largest (23) and a wonderful mix of Ambassador adults and youth. God truly worked in and through them during their week together, and those of us who stayed behind and supported them financially and prayerfully can rejoice in the work of the gospel accomplished. If you want to get an idea of what happens on a short term trip like this both physically and spiritually, take time to read the daily blogs recorded by various members of the team, as well as the short testimonies and reflections of many of those who went. You can find them by clicking here: APC Mexico Mission Blog

The Ambassador Mexico Missions team (The Living Stones) are hard at work in Rio Verde this week. Check out their daily updates on the team blog here: APC Mexico Team Blog

“Turn left in .5 miles.” The soft, friendly voice of our Magellan GPS unit (whom we have fondly named Maggie) was preparing me for my next driving maneuver, but something in me said that this was not the right direction. I quickly pictured in my mind the map I had looked at earlier, checked the digital compass on my rear-view mirror, and knew I should be heading south instead of east. In what ended up being a split-second decision, I went with my instinct instead of following the instructions of my cyber-friend. She quickly “recalculated” the route in light of my insubordination, and in the end I wound up at my desired destination in a little more direct way than I would have following her original instructions.

We’re embarking this summer on a sermon series in the book of Proverbs, a book filled with practical instruction for navigating the pathways of life. However, it’s interesting to note that in this book, as well as in the rest of his word, God does not give us GPS-like directions for how to live. He does not lay out in detail the “shortest route” to a good marriage or the “quickest way” to raise godly children or the “easiest path” to being a good employer or employee. Rather, like a compass, God orients our hearts towards a spiritual “true north” or what Proverbs calls “wisdom.” When we seek and follow God’s wisdom in life, we won’t necessarily all take the same route, but we will be headed towards the same destination which Proverbs describes with words like “righteousness, justice, equity, joy, peace, integrity, humility, life, etc.” Some roads may be bumpier than others, and undoubtedly we’ll make some wrong turns along the way, but when we’re guided by true wisdom, we can be sure we’ll reach our final destination safely.

Ironically, in Proverbs, Wisdom is personified as the voice of a woman calling out for young men to walk in her way, to follow her path. But this is not a GPS-voice giving us detailed instructions to be blindly followed, rather this voice points us like a compass to the source of true wisdom: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy One insight.” (Proverbs 9:10). Wisdom is found not in a set of rules or steps to follow, but in a relationship with the Lord. And that relationship is made personal through the knowledge of the Holy One, Jesus Christ, “who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” (1 Corinthians 1:30).

If you want practical help in navigating the winding paths of life, there are plenty of GPS-voices in the world to try to guide you in the way. Many of them, though well intentioned, will ultimately leave you stranded in the dark wilderness. Only when our ears are attuned and our hearts are oriented to true wisdom, given by God, found in the person of Jesus Christ, and laid out in his word, will we be able, in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, to stay on the path that ultimately leads to true and eternal life.

Why not check out the book of Proverbs with us this summer and hear what Wisdom has to say.

Start planning now to join your APC family this summer for Sunday Night Live! SNL is an event for your whole family and a great way to connect and fellowship, be challenged and encouraged in your faith, and have fun while doing it.

Food and Fellowship: We’ll gather at 5:30 p.m. for a light dinner.

Growing in Faith: From 6-7 p.m., the adults will convene for a time with a guest speaker who will bring challenging and encouraging teaching about a relevant aspect of the Christian life. Topics will include Marriage, Parenting, Finances, and more!

Fun for the Children: While the adults are with the guest speaker, our children (pre-K-5th grade) will learn about what it means to ‘Run the Christian Race’ as they participate in fun and exciting times of Bible stories, crafts, games, and more! Childcare will be provided for the younger children.

Sunday Night Live is scheduled for June 13, 27; July 11, 25; and August 8, 22. See you there!

I’ve been revisiting one of my favorite books on pastoral ministry by Eugene Peterson entitled Working the Angles. His chapter on prayer entitled “Praying by the Book” both convicted me and convinced me that I need to reevaluate my theology and practice of prayer. He reminds me that prayer is not a venture to be entered into lightly, but an encounter that brings my words into juxtaposition and interaction with the very word of the living God.

“When we pray we are using words that bring us into proximity with words that break cedars, shake the wilderness, makes the oaks whirl, and strips forests bare (Ps. 29:5-9)…Praying puts us at risk of getting involved in God’s conditions. Be slow to pray. Praying most often doesn’t get us what we want, but what God wants, something quite at variance with what we conceive to be in our best interests. And when we realize what is going on, it’s often too late to go back. Be slow to pray.”

This is quite different than the counsel I normally give and seek to live by which is be quick to pray. But Peterson is not bringing into question the urgency or frequency of prayer, but rather he is reminding me of the divine significance of prayer. Peterson’s warning is against the shallow, banal, limp praying that is “uprooted from the soil of God’s word,” what he calls “cut-flower” prayers that we often use to decorate particular situations, but which have no lasting value. As a pastor, often called upon to pray, it is easy for prayer to become just that, decorative words spoken to a particular situation rather than deeply-rooted words responding to an all-powerful God.

So what is the solution? According to Peterson, “We restore prayer to its context in God’s word. Prayer is not something we think up to get God’s attention or enlist his favor. Prayer is answering speech. The first word is God’s word.” Prayer, like everything else in the Christian life, must be rooted in the soil of God’s word. Maybe a good place to start is returning to the Psalms as an inspired prayer guide. What do you think?

Jesus in the Qur’an is, in some ways, an entirely new paradigm and, in other ways, an ancient one dating back to the days of Jesus.

During our JIQ weekend, MAY 14-15 (Friday night and Saturday), we aim to introduce attendees to the basics of Islam, delve into the Bible and the Qur’an to see what they are really trying to say, and learn to speak peacefully and effectively about Jesus and the Kingdom with our Muslim friends.

With our Muslim friends, we can begin with friendships, continue by studying the Bible and the Qur’an together, and finally move toward an answer to the all-important question: “Who is Jesus and what does He have to do with entering the Kingdom of God?”

For 1400 years, however, deep misunderstanding has marked this interaction. We aim to radically transform the conversation. We believe we must relearn to speak so that both Muslims and Christians (and all seekers of the Truth) can truly understand each other. What was Jesus’ way of sharing his message? What were Paul’s methods? As we look into the history we can find our present conversations transformed!

Join us for this mind renewing weekend – May 14-15, 2010. For more information, click the JIQ link below and began a discovery again of the message of the Gospel – the Good News to all people.

Jesus in the Qur’an Raleigh Seminar

Cathy and I have several pictures hanging in our home of buildings. We have a watercolor of the first house we owned and where we lived when three of our boys were born. We have a picture of the house I grew up in in Beaufort, SC. And we have a beautiful painting of the church we attended in Columbia where God called me and helped prepare us for ministry. These places are more than buildings; they are places where many memories were made and where God worked in significant ways at different stages of our lives. That is why we enjoy those pictures so much as they keep reminding us of the blessings God has brought at various times and in various places.

That is also one reason we felt that commissioning a drawing of Ambassador’s new building would be an appropriate gift for the building committee members through whose hard work God has richly blessed us with a place where I pray many, many wonderful memories will be made in the life of his people here at APC. Brenda Priest, the artist who did that beautiful drawing, would like to make limited edition prints (unframed) of the same size available to Ambassador members for the special price of $25 (a great deal). Brenda has a nice entry on her website regarding the drawing, and you can order your print directly from her by contacting her through the site at www.yourdoorandmore.com. Many thanks again to all who have helped make Ambassador Presbyterian Church and now this new building, a very special place.