Final Thoughts On Turkey

I can’t quite get my head around this one.

North Park and student teams from North Park have served in number of areas…Dallas, Texas; the Mexico border; Joplin, Missouri; Haiti; Tupelo, Mississippi; and now in Istanbul, Turkey.

I had a notion that the time served in Haiti would do well in preparing my heart and mind for Istanbul.  That notion turned out to be completely wrong.

Istanbul is one of the healthiest economies in the world.  The city is growing and thriving.  People are achieving incredible levels of success dreamed of in other parts of the world.

Haiti is one of the world’s poorest economies.  Most of the population are still living in what we consider temporary shelter.  Drinking water is something you have to work very hard for.  People are unemployed at levels we cannot grasp.  Rubble from the earthquake in 2010 is still everywhere.

My expectation was that Turkey would be a place that is much easier on your heart…that not seeing so many people struggling for bare necessities would make things easier for a westerner to stomach.  The reality…

Wrong.

Wrong.

Wrong.

My heart does break for our Haitian friends.  Seeing the living conditions of the children there is very heart-breaking.

48 hours removed from Istanbul my heart is feeling a different kind of pain.

In Haiti, we follow the Gospel mandate to meet basic needs.  We then use that opportunity to share the greatest need…Jesus Christ.  People are responding and lives are being changed in HUGE numbers…praise God!

In Turkey, like here, there really aren’t any “felt” needs.  Families are doing well.  They are eating well.  They are making good money.  They can work as many jobs as they are willing to with the prosperous economy.

4,711

That’s the number of Christ followers in Turkey in 2011.

125

That’s the number of Christian evangelical churches in Turkey in 2011.

.006% of the population knows Jesus…one Christian church for every 576,000 Turks.

If the same ratios were true in Arkansas there would be 176 Christ followers and SIX evangelical churches.  Most of us have more Christian friends than that on Facebook and one street in our town with that many churches.

The people of Turkey are in a darkness I just can’t comprehend.  In an area that is so rich with Christian history, the Turkish people have turned their back on their first love, Jesus Christ.

They are loaded with layers of religious and cultural baggage that are overwhelming.  Their national identity, a HUGE aspect of a Turk’s life, includes being a Muslim.  That said, most of them really don’t follow Islam.  It’s just how they identify themselves (just like many “Christians” in the southern U.S.).

They then have the pursuit…the pursuit of wealth and stature.  Materialism at its worst.  Many don’t have time to worry about their “religious” identity because they’re working so hard to attain the nice car.

Then there’s the very real consideration of persecution.  While they won’t be legally punished for following Christ, they will face very painful daily persecution from family, friends, co-workers, customers, and bosses (or potential bosses).

So many amazing, wonderful people SO far from God.  It’s completely overwhelming.

So…what do we do?

A few things to start…

• Pray for the missionaries who’ve laid everything down to bring the love of Jesus to this people group.
• Support the work of missionary groups like the IMB financially.
• Pray for the people.  Read John 6:44 and beg God to draw them to Jesus.
• Go…if you can…go!  Meet these people or another people group.

Once you’ve seen the faces and heard the stories of people who are so kind and in such desperate need of the Lord, you WILL be changed.

The darkness in places like Turkey can ONLY be reversed by a gigantic move of God.  We must pray.  We must make this a priority in OUR lives.  We have the greatest news mankind has ever and will ever receive…the Gospel.  We have the mandate to carry that Gospel to the ends of the earth.  We have everything we need to do that.  Let’s do it.  Let’s do it like we really do believe it.  Let’s do it like their lives really do depend on it.  Let’s work as if it ALL depends on us.  Let’s understand that NONE of it really does.  God has allowed us to be his ambassadors…to take HIS mercy and grace to the world.

My takeaway…that we need to find the Haitis, the Turkeys, the Ecuadors, the Van Burens, the Tupelos, the Indias, the Chinas, and we need to get there.  We need to get there and share like Jesus commanded us to do.  We need to be heartbroken for the lost – truly heartbroken…to the point we do something about it.

My hat’s off to the team of people who made this trip possible.  I know the students I traveled with NEVER be the same.  Thanks for opening our eyes.

Istanbul Day Seven

Tonight and tomorrow I want to share with you some of the things our students have taken from this trip.  Tonight, I will share the boys’ takeaways.

Nate’s favorite moment of the week was our Wednesday night worship with the members of the Beshiktash Protestant Church, the church our team served Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  We sang Turkish hymns alongside them in Turkish.  We had no idea what we were saying but there was an intense sense of unity among believers from different cultures.

Nate says he’ll miss the food the most.  The Turks definitely know their way around the kitchen.  We have eaten very well and I am in full agreement with Nate on this one.

Nate met a man at the church named Unao.  Unao speaks very poor english.  Watching the two of them try to communicate was sometimes comical.  However, they struggled through and forged a very real friendship while teaching each other English and Turk.  Today we returned to that church to tie up some loose ends and Unao had his daughter with him.  Nate actually sat down with her, helping her learn english and math.  It was truly awesome to watch.

This week has placed a real burden on Nate’s heart to pursue international missions with intensity and focus.  I am very excited to watch what God does with this young man over the next few years.

Lucas had his eyes opened (like several of us) about the reality of Muslim life here.  Most of the people here are definitely not completely devout Muslims.  Most of them are better described as cultural/nationalistic Muslims.  Their sense of identity is deeply rooted in their nationality and that encompasses Islam.  Many of them are just like many Americans who just check the “Christian” box but don’t have a clue what that actually means and certainly don’t live it out.

The hospitality of the Turkish people is what he’s going to miss the most.  They are a very welcoming, open people.  Many of them are very willing to listen to your point of view, being fully respectful of it.

The reality we’ve all been exposed to is that many Muslims think Christianity and Islam are mostly similar.  Most of them believe Allah and God to be the same deity.  They observe Jesus as a major prophet.  However, they do NOT believe He is the Son of God.  Many of them are very universalist in their view.  Many believe that Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, and other religions that are genuine of heart lead to Allah in the end.  That is the heart-breaking reality of this people group.  Their lostness is masked in so many layers of empty religion and materialism.

The members of the teams from the other churches have nothing but amazing things to say about the whole team from North Park.  It has been very fun to watch this group of young people bond…they’ve worked very well together.

Tomorrow is our last day.  It’s very bittersweet.  It’s bitter in that we leave at 3:00 AM Sunday morning!  It’s bitter that we’re leaving this amazing people.  It’s bitter that we can’t stay any longer to work alongside the “workers” who’ve traded everything to reach these people.  It’s bitter that the laughing from 11:30 pm on, for NO reason at all, will be coming to an end.

I hope our team comes back on fire for their friends and family who need Jesus.  I hope that God has called some of them to serve overseas.  I hope that we can convince LOTS of people to try an international mission trip.  The effect on your faith is very hard to describe.

That’s all for tonight.  We’ll have more tomorrow from some of the girls here.

Istanbul Day Six

Our three teams were back together again as we took a visit to one of the most historic sites in church history…the Haiga Sophia.  The architecture is beyond description.  The shear size is breathtaking.  I cannot even imagine how they built something so large 1,600 years ago.  Our history buff students were in heaven.  

We also toured Blue Mosque.  It is also very beautiful.  It is an active mosque so we had to remove our shoes to enter.  Their call to prayer actually happened while we were in Haiga Sophia.  

For some reason, most of us found today to be the most exhausting day of all of them.  These two teams are tired tonight like we haven’t experienced yet.  

Tomorrow will be amazing.  Some of our team will be providing child care for “workers” here in Istanbul.  Those workers will be able to attend a marriage retreat and enjoy some time simply as a married couple.  We take that very much for granted.  These folks simply do not get to experience that very often.  What an opportunity to bless those who are in the battle all the time.  

Keep the prayers coming.  We are really making some strong relationships with some locals.  The battle for their soul is a HUGE one.  Ask God to do something supernatural to bring people to Him.  

Istanbul Day Five

This trip just keeps getting better.  As I write this at 10:42 pm local time, Lucas, Brent, and Sarah are with a local Muslim university student.  They say he is an incredibly nice guy who has been very open to hearing about the Christian faith though he considers himself a devout Muslim.  Please pray for him.

This morning’s worship time was a real turning point for the members of this team.  A local “worker” addressed after worship time.  He and his wife moved here in 2004 and left in 2007 to take over as the BCM director at Arizona State University.  It didn’t take them long to realize that God wanted them here, not back in the States.  So, they packed up their five-year and one-year old and headed back.

He made a statement that has been haunting several of us all day.  God is deserving of all our worship.  Billions of people around the world are not ascribing that worth to Him because they have not heard the Gospel message.  So He is NOT getting what HE deserves.

We are fully deserving of God’s full wrath.  We are sinful beings who are due serious judgement.  Yet, for billions of us, we have been given amazing grace that we DON’T deserve and didn’t do ANYTHING to earn.  God is giving us a free gift that we DO NOT deserve.

God is NOT getting what He deserves.  We are getting an eternal gift that we DON”T deserve.  And we’re OKAY with that?

We say we’re not okay with that but our actions show different.  There are countries and people groups who do not have anyone preaching the Gospel (Romans 10) while countless followers do nothing to advance it.  Our response to God’s call on our lives must match that of Isaiah when the Lord called him (Isaiah 6:8).  Here am I.  Send me.  Wherever.  Whenever.  However.  To whoever.

I’m incredibly proud of this team of students for being here.  I think I may be even prouder of the realization many of them (and me) came to this morning.  Have we/I been willing to forsake EVERYTHING to see this message of amazing grace reach all people groups?  Have I/we been willing to look at our schools/jobs as what they truly are…our LOCAL mission field?  If the story of Isaiah 6 was about us/me, would it end with a statement like “there he/she is…send them Lord?”

This country is the biggest spiritual battlefield I’ve ever experienced.  We are losing right now.  In the end, we know that Jesus wins.  In the immediate future we need to figure what God is calling us to and answer with a resounding “here am I…send me.”

March 21, 2012.  Mark this day down and the names of the students and adults on this trip.  In a decade, I have a feeling this will be a day some of us will remember as a turning point.

Continue to pray for our ability to reach people here and to bless the local churches and her members.

Istanbul Day Four

This trip just keeps getting better.  Today our students continued to grow more relationships with local “workers” and non-Christian Turks.  I can’t express in words the excitement on their faces at the end of each day.  Our group time is full of laughter…it’s a great way to end our days.  Paige is doing a great job leading a group devotional as we laugh.

Lucas’ and Callie’s team switched to working at a local school for the “workers’” children, called the IGA.  They painted, laid a walkway, stained a bench, cleaned the playground, and played with lots of kids.  I truly hope they will be a great blessing to these kids who have traveled with their parents to serve the King in a foreign country.  Tomorrow they return to the IGA.  Please pray that they will be a huge blessing.

Nate and Erin’s team spent the afternoon painting a local church again.  The work is coming along nicely.  The opportunity to be a blessing to one of the few Jesus loving churches in this city is huge.  Tomorrow they will strive to finish their painting work there, having painted five rooms, a mural, and planted some flowers.  The man we are working with there actually moved from Montana after visiting Istanbul and has lived here for well over a decade.  He is a very neat man.

Kim, Paige and Kylie’s team spent the day on the university campus again.  They are truly getting to influence non-believers.  Paige has been in two very interesting conversations with Muslim girls.  She has become a wealth of knowledge about Islam.  This team has been able to develop some great relationships in these past two days over a foozball table.  They’ve heard a few curse words while at it, but it’s been well worth it to get to know these students who desperately need Jesus.

Our morning session was with a local “worker” who relocated here to use visual arts studio as a way to reach the lost.  It was very eye-opening to hear how the art they produce has inspired many people to ask questions about Jesus.  The gallery is also a place that brings in two interns a semester to work and grow.  We were all very blessed by our time there and challenged to push ourselves with the way we use visual arts to inspire questions.

Tomorrow brings some new challenges for one crew.  The other two will return to their previous work.

Tonight I stood at the top of Camlica, a mountain overview in the eastern portion of Istanbul.  It was very harrowing to be able to see the full scope of Istanbul in 360 degrees.  This city is so huge with SO much spiritual darkness.  While our crew was doing our daily devotional, the call to prayer came.  You could hear it coming from all directions from the countless mosques in this area.  It was a real moment of clarity as to the desperate need for Jesus here.  Please pray for awakening here.  Pray and pray often.  Read John 6:44 and pray that God would do that…DRAW people to His Son for the salvation of their souls.  This worship song by Chris Tomlin may help.

Thank you for your continued prayer support for this team.  We truly appreciate it!  The students continue to show why 330 students are different.  Their heart for people is on full display and I’m incredibly proud of them.

Istanbul Day Three

What an amazing day!  Today was day one of true ministry now that we have gone through orientation and training.  Our students are PUMPED!

The team with Lucas and Callie spent the afternoon distributing Jesus packs including a movie, a local contact, and some general information.  They were to forge some relationships with employees and owners of local businesses.  They then spent the evening with a local “worker,” who shared with them what their life here is like and invited the team into their home.  Lucas and Callie were both VERY encouraged about meeting new people, some of whom were receptive to the message of the Gospel.

The team with Kim, Paige, and Kylie met people on a university campus and then spent the evening at a place called Camlica.  The view from there is apparently amazing…you can see all of Istanbul.  They spent time there praying for the people.  The relationships they forged at the university came with some very funny stories you’ll have to ask them about.  That team is very encouraged about the relationships they formed today.

The team with Nate, Erin and me spent the afternoon painting the inside of a local church and then spent the evening in a local Starbucks trying to meet some new people.  The work of the church here is very difficult and we have a great opportunity to bless and encourage the local Christians.  We are taking this very seriously.  The night in Starbucks brought a couple of conversations with some Turks that were completely fascinating.  These people are very amazing.

Our worship service this morning was amazing.  Lucas, Kylie, and Callie helped lead.  A local “worker” shared his history and the progress of the Gospel in Turkey.  I seriously overshot the numbers.  According to his research for 2011 there are now 125 churches in the entire country and approximately 4,700 bible believing Christ followers.  Just to give you some reference…if this ratio of churches to population was the same in Arkansas we would have EIGHT churches statewide.  Unreal and heartbreaking…the work is overwhelming.  We will work like it depends on us and understand that it does not (Colossians 1:28-29).

The most surprising discovery here is that our biggest opposition here is NOT Islam.  It is covetousness and selfishness.  This city is so similar to the United States in that way.  Most of the people here are NOT devout Muslims (most we’ve talked to are universalists, believing all roads lead to heaven some day).  They are devout self-worshipers…sound familiar?  They have no time to worry about Jesus, Allah, Buddah or any other religions…they might miss a buck and not have the shiny car they “need.”  Islam certainly is one barrier but it is definitely NOT the biggest.  This people group (at least in Istanbul) really doesn’t have many “felt needs” like the people of Haiti and other third world countries.  I pray we are able to crack the shell of greed (self worship) both here and in our back yard.

This place is amazing.  Our students are phenomenal.  The food is completely awesome.  Our God is incredible.  Let’s continue to pray for a God-sized, amazing awakening here.  These people need Jesus desperately.  This is the darkest place I’ve ever seen.  4,700 Christ followers in a country of over 70,000,000.  Pray, pray, pray…please.  

Istanbul Days One and Two1:

Friday at 7:30 a.m. the team began the drive to Tulsa International Airport.  We landed in Istanbul, Turkey at around 2 pm local time Saturday (5 am Van Buren time).  The flight from D.C. to Frankfurt, Germany was 8 hours of cramped misery but we did arrive with no luggage lost (unlock our partners here from Conway) and no mishaps, so we will not complain.

When we arrived, we were set up at our residence for the week, the Hush Hostel and Lounge.  Our arrangements are quite nice once we resolved the electricity issues.  We spent last night learning a bit about our week, experiencing the crowded streets of Istanbul, and eating AMAZING Turkish cuisine.

Today was more orientation and then the “crewmazing race.”  Each crew (three of them) was given a list of things to do and places to go and sent on our way with directions on how to use the local transportation.  Each crew did get lost a time or two.  However, we are all much more confident in our ability to get around this HUGE city now.

This city is indescribable.  It’s absolutely beautiful.  The mixture of modern buildings and 2,000 year old buildings make for a scene that can’t be effectively shared in pictures or words.  There are HUGE hills and lots of trees and approximately 16 million people.  As we were landing, we were in complete awe of the size and scope of Istanbul.

The need is even more overwhelming than the size, though.  Our estimates that 91% of the population is non-Christian were too low.  Christians can be numbered in 10,000′s in a city of 16,000,000.  The good news is that two decades ago that numbers was below 1,000.  The church is growing here.

While we are not allowed to tell people why we are actually here, opportunities to share the truth of Jesus will arise.  The people here are VERY friendly and easy to talk to.  As we begin our work throughout the city tomorrow, we are simply praying for opportunities to show the love Christ through our actions AND share in word.  Please join us in that prayer.

The students from North Park are doing exactly what we expected…shining.  These students would stack up with any six from anywhere in the world.  Their maturity has been outstanding.  The leadership of IWC (International World Changers) was a bit concerned initially when they saw the ages.  It appears that most students who do these trips are of college age.  Five of our six are not.  The local leadership, though, has quickly been very impressed with these six.  Their heart to reach people is evident and their willingness to do whatever that takes is already on full display.  I am one proud student pastor.

I’m also very proud of Kim.  Her ankle that was broken two years ago in the unfortunate cow pie incident seems to need work again.  It’s very large and painful and we are doing LOTS of walking.  She is being a trooper, leading a crew and sticking with it.  I love my wife…her heart and her grit.  She’s a tough woman with a huge heart for the lost.

The most eye-opening time for some of our crew was today during one of the “calls to prayer” from the local mosque.  The crew with Kim, Paige, and Kylie was literally sitting on the steps of the mosque while men cleaned their feet, faces, and hands to go in and pray to a god who doesn’t exist.  Reality sank in about the spiritual darkness of this otherwise beautiful place.  The task here is huge, but our Jesus is bigger.

We were able to worship today with some of the local “workers” as we are required to call them while we are here.  It was humbling to realize that God was truly here with us as we worshiped Him.  We were able to meet some people who pulled their families out of the comforts of home and family to move here to reach a beautiful but lost people.  Their children were just like ours…restless during church and ready to go home after it.  We met one lady who had just adopted a foster child from Florida eight months ago.  He was precious.  The courage to not just move your family here but to do it with an adopted baby is inspiring.

The crew from Conway is great.  They are a college group with big hearts.  The leaders here are great…again, BIG hearts.  I am very pleased with the organization and flexibility of the project coordinator, ministry coordinator, and all the other leaders.

I will be uploading a few pics and videos to my Facebook tonight if you’d like to view.  Thanks for the continued prayers!  I’ll update again tomorrow or Tuesday.

Parents…all the students are doing AMAZING and in very good spirits.  You’ve done well sending them here and I commend YOUR faith as much as theirs’.

 

Bring it with you!

Studying and preparing for the series that we just ended in North Park Youth and for the up-coming series has been nothing short of awesome.  Here’s why…

One piece of baggage I brought with me in my personal faith journey was doubt.  It was only during the past few weeks that I confessed struggling to trust the bible as God’s word during my first years as a Christian.  His faithfulness and its truth, over time, made it clear to me that the Bible is, indeed, God’s word.  But I didn’t always have that trust and felt somewhat ashamed of that. 

I also struggled with spiritual doubt.  The thoughts of “what if this isn’t real?”  What if I’m fooling myself?  I felt like I was the only person in church who dealt with these types of thoughts.  Years later I realize that’s simply NOT true.  That fear and doubt is all but gone today but took a lot of experience, grace, and time to overcome.   

Christians everywhere have doubts and struggles that seem too ridiculous to be real.  They feel that no one other than them deals with these struggles. 

The good news is this:  The bible says otherwise. 

Judges 6 – 8 details the story of Gideon, a man esteemed in children’s bible stories as nothing short of a hero.  In the end, he WAS  a hero for God.  However, he did NOT start that way.  He had doubts, anger, frustration, and was disappointed with the circumstances that he faced.  He doubted that God could use him for the task He had arranged.  He asked God for signs to PROVE that He was real.  All in all, he was struggling Christian…just like many of us. 

Time and God’s grace, mercy and faithfulness would lead Gideon to become one of the bible’s strongest heroes.  Gideon chose to trust and believe with his heart even when his mind told him otherwise. 

What struggles do you have about your faith that you feel no one else deals with?

They’re good, but they’re not God

I heard a story on the way into the office this morning on KLOVE about Rev. Billy Graham.  He constructed a beautiful library in Charlotte, North Carolina several years ago.  However, recently he began renovating this fairly new structure after God began to impart something on him…John 3:30.  “He must become more; I must become less.” (NIV)

Rev. Graham noticed that the library had WAY too much to do with him and not HIM.  So he began changing things to shine the light of Christ, not Billy Graham. 

Then I get here and I read this in Revelation 19:10…”don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers and sisters…Worship only God.  For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.” (NLT)

It is highly recommended that if you want to become excellent in a field that you watch those who are already excellent in that field and try to find out their work habits, study habits, practice habits, or other driving forces.  You, in turn, repeat those steps with a fiery intensity and hope to attain similarly excellent results. 

Good plan…

But a warning.  In church life this is not always a healthy habit. 

I have several pastors whose podcasts I listen to weekly and faithfully.  I read their books and study their churches.  I try to find out how it is that they have been a part of a ministry that is so successful. 

And while I never would “worship” those guys there are and have been times when I, and probably you, lose sight of what’s at stake.  In my effort to study their ministries, I sometimes forget that this is a ministry of JESUS that they GET TO be a part of.  NOT a ministry of theirs that they let Jesus be a part of.  “For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.”

My job and your job, whatever our vocation, is to give a clear witness for Jesus.  Whether we work in a church, a store, a factory, a school, a hospital, or anywhere else our job is to be HIS witness. 

So, in our pursuit of vocational excellence (which is a GOOD pursuit), let us not forget the sole purpose of becoming excellent…to honor our risen Savior.

Changing the World

Kim and I returned Friday from a pre-planning trip to Dallas for our World Changers Mission camp in June. In a word…amazing!

What we found was God’s church teaming up with the government to help those in need in the local community. What you face with this organization is people whose homes are in dis-repair. The city tells them they need to repair their homes. These folks, though, are generally elderly and on a fixed income and are simply unable to do so.

So the local city government applies to HUD for funding to help these people. HUD pays the city back for approved repairs, both labor and supplies.

The beauty of an organization like World Changers is that it provides the laborers, saving tax dollars from paying contractors to DO the work.

So the people’s home is repaired by 12-15 teenagers and a few adults at no cost to the homeowner.

The ultimate advantage is this, though…when neighbors see a load of students working on a neighbor’s home, they come by to find out what they’re doing and why. And, thus, we have an opportunity to tell someone that we love Jesus and that is the sole reason we are here.

Kim and I were so moved by some of the stories the homeowner’s shared with us. The students from NP who are attending this trip are going to be pushed harder than they’ve ever been pushed before. They are going to be exhausted by week’s end.

The relationships they form that week and the service they provide to these homeowners will be life-altering for many…

Please begin praying that God does something HUGE through the efforts of not only our students, but of all those who attend a camp like this over the Summer…

God bless!