Driving on I-81 yesterday I couldn’t help but notice the unusual amount of church steeples popping up along the horizon of the interstate. It seemed like every town we passed through had several, and then they dotted the landscape in between towns as well.

This reminded me of our typical “come to us” strategy and how it must change. The times of putting up a sign and a steeple and watching people flow into the church is over. The approach is no longer “outside in”, the approach must be “inside out” where those inside the church are walking out into the marketplaces of the world to serve, love and make a difference in real people’s lives.

I’m beginning to think that maybe the church should be a little less obvious in its service. Maybe we should simply serve in love and allow people to wonder where we came from and why we are serving. Maybe allowing people to ask questions and wonder who we are and where we meet will build a community buzz that no billboard ever could.

Then again, who cares about buzz, I just care about making a difference in the lives of people for their own good rather than for the benefit of me or the church.

I have been reading through Leviticus, which is always a barrel of laughs, and what really hits me is all the nasty stuff that the priests had to do in service to the people. Just to highlight, their duties involved sprinkling the blood of animals and dealing with their entrails (intestines).

Sometimes I can level with that, but most of the time I stay far too clean. Serving is hard because it is done in the trenches of the lives of people. Our lives are messy, so when we start to really connect with one another we should expect that to be messy as well.

I encourage you to get messy today. Its not glamorous, but it is beautiful.

I have been reading through the end of Exodus and realized something obvious but interesting. The Israelites were busy trying to find their way out of the desert and God commands them to stop and build the Tabernacle (a super ornate tent, sweet crib) and make the priests garments for the Aaron and his sons which are probably the most elaborate and expensive outfits I have ever heard of (Vera Wang look out).

I was thinking about why God would command them to create such ornate expensive things in the midst of living this nomadic lifestyle (since most people don’t take their tux on a camping trip). And, I think it’s simply because He is worth it. The Tabernacle was His place for the ark (His presence) and the priests’ clothes were for the purpose of meeting with God. And He is worth making much of, even out in the desert in the middle of nowhere.

This helps me to see my own foolishness. So often I find myself trying to cram God into the small nooks and crannies of free time in my day. Instead I should be making much of Him, even when that means that I’m inconvenienced, and even when that means that I have to make sacrifices.

If the Israelites can pimp out a tent and some priests in the middle of the desert, I ought to be able to find time to read my Bible, speak with God and serve Him a little each day.

Blogging has an interesting way of bringing people with common beliefs together. I met Alece through blogging about a year ago and have really been captivated by the work that she and her husband are doing in Africa. So, I asked her to write a little something about what she does. Please read this, it will really touch your heart.

Grit and Glory

by Alece van Rensburg

I often refer to my life as a missionary as an interesting mix of grit and glory.

Mostly, my life is nothing more than everyday, run-of-the-mill grit. My days are filled with the same humdrum routineness that yours are filled with, even though our routines may differ. I spend hours behind my desk, which is incredibly messy right now. Who am I kidding? It’s always messy. There are stacks of things piled high on my desk, just waiting for me to tackle them – books I need to simply put away on my bookshelf, papers that need to be filed, projects I’m up to my eyeballs in.

I go grocery shopping, stand in line at the post office, and try to get to a coffee shop for a hot frothy beverage as often as possible. I typically leave the office in the evenings with a frustrated sigh of What am I going to cook for dinner? (I always say that French toast is my specialty, but I don’t even make that particularly well.)

I love to read, but don’t have as much time to enjoy that as I’d like. I watch TV, and as of Christmas, I even TiVo my favorite shows. I love a good movie, and have a surprisingly extensive collection of DVDs. I don’t really have much of a hobby, unless blogging counts as one.

My life probably sounds more similar to yours than you’d imagine a missionary’s would. Or should.

I’m just like you. My minutes and hours are filled with gritty, unimportant details. Many people think that missionaries are exempt from all that. As though we just hovercraft through life, with our feet barely ever touching down into the reality of the world we live in. Not so. My feet are firmly planted. I walk the same rocky roads you do. I enjoy similar life pleasures (although I do wish there were a Starbucks closer than an ocean away). I live life.

I just do it in Africa.

And that’s where the glory part comes in.

I live on a continent ripe with potential, with hope lying just beneath the surface of people’s hearts. I work among the Basotho, a people notorious for their friendliness, warmth, and welcoming smiles. I look out my kitchen window and my breath is stolen by the view; clouds hug the mountains as though they are saying farewell before a long journey. Zebra and antelope graze on my front lawn, and ostrich peck on my office window while I’m working.

I am privileged to live my gritty life in glorious Africa.

Amid the glory of this beautiful land, death is an ever-present reality. It’s the constant lump in everyone’s throat; it’s the hole in our pants pockets, making it impossible to hold onto anything, or anyone. Africa is dying inside. AIDS is the silent killer ravaging the nation of South Africa, the country I now call home. While most of the world turns a blind eye, we’ve dove headfirst into tackling this seemingly-insurmountable challenge.

I truly believe that the only way to turn the tide of the AIDS pandemic is to teach and equip the next generation to live moral lives and make wise decisions. Our AIDS prevention program is doing just that. We’ve trained indigenous young people—whom we call coaches—to teach public school students about abstinence, leadership, and finding life-purpose through a relationship with God.

Our main strategy for AIDS prevention isn’t teaching abstinence, as important as that is. Our main purpose is leading students to become fully-devoted followers of Jesus. Long-lasting behavioral change, which is absolutely necessary to stop the spread of HIV, can only come from a life-transforming encounter with God. As young people grow as Christ-following leaders, they learn to make wise choices in every area of their lives—including the area of their sexuality.

That way, we’re not just rescuing them from contracting and spreading HIV. We’re launching them into society as strong, Godly leaders who will one day have positions of influence in the community, government, church, and marketplace. Thousands of students have made commitments to follow Christ, save sex until marriage, and be faithful to their spouse. A new day is dawning in Africa.

My life is truly overflowing with the glory of lives transformed by the power of God. Looking into the eyes of a young girl who, for the first time, grasps the fact that she is worth far more than just being some guy’s sex toy – that’s glory. Hearing a schoolboy say he now understands that his life is not a hopeless accident, but he was created by God for a purpose – that’s glory. Seeing hundreds of school kids commit to remain pure until marriage – that’s glory. Watching young people flood the stage to give their lives to Christ – that’s unbelievably magnificent glory.

I enjoy the tension of my paradoxical life. The grit is what makes the glory so glorious. If it were all glory, I wouldn’t recognize it anymore. When souls saved and lives changed become mundane, I’ve missed out on the grit of my life. When answering emails and cooking dinner become overwhelmingly weighty, I’ve missed out on the glory. I need both, and I strive to see Him strewn throughout it all.

I’m off to grab a cup of flavored coffee and to see what’s on my TiVo. Tomorrow I’ve got a world to change!

BIO
Alece and her husband are missionaries in South Africa where they pioneered the ministry of Thrive Africa (www.thriveafrica.org). In all her spare time (ahem!), she reads, writes (she blogs at www.gritandglory.com), and daydreams about hot, frothy beverages from Starbucks.

Tonight I am thinking about how followers of Jesus must serve others without any agenda. We have all seen how churches volunteer to serve in their community with the hidden (incredibly obvious) motive of getting people to come to their church. But I think the church’s service must be hidden more than it is open. The church’s service must be completely selfless, where we simply show up to serve so that we can meet a need and for no other reason. Credit doesn’t matter, accolades are pointless; service by its very nature must exist to benefit others and not ourselves.

Let’s serve the community for the benefit of the community.

Let’s serve the people for the benefit of the people.

Period.

I have been reading unChristian by David Kinnaman, and it is really helping me reflect on many of the things that I do and how what I profess to believe sometimes mismatches the way my life plays out. I have also been thinking a lot about transparency in my life so that I can be totally real with people and therefore build deeper, longer lasting relationships that have a good foundation.

So, because I want to be totally transparent, and because I am reflecting on how my life is sometimes a poor reflection of my belief, here is a laundry list of what I am struggling through and praying I can improve on this new year.

• Bible Reading – I say that it is the living word of God; His love letter written to humanity to enlighten us of our wrongdoing and to give hope for an eternal future. But, at best, I read this amazing book for short stints of time once a day. While some people might think that a short “quiet time” is enough, I am growing more and more convinced of my need to drink deeply of the Word in a way that is new, fresh, and continuous throughout the day.
• Prayer – I say that there is power in prayer and genuinely believe that God hears all of my prayers and cares about my situation. But, somehow, I find it so difficult to remember to pray continually through the day. Its not that I don’t want to pray, I just don’t remember to once the business of the day sets in. A short time of prayer each morning and each night just isn’t enough. I want to talk to my Creator all through the day. I’m working on this.
• Selflessness – This should go without saying. Being a husband, a dad, and a follower of Jesus should leave virtually no room to be selfish. And yet, I still struggle with wanting to put my own wants ahead of others all the time.
• Service – I firmly believe that Christians should serve anywhere and everywhere they are. However, for me, this often goes against my natural tendency for leadership, so I often find myself charging ahead to lead rather than kneeling down to serve. I need to slow down and take time to find opportunities to serve others. Servant leadership is a must.
• Giving – Giving is a must, and I really don’t think that a tithe really cuts it. God has called us to turn over all of our possessions to Him and then allow Him to give away whatever He wants. I give in lots of different ways, but I sense that in 2008 God will have me and my family give away far more than ever and I’m very excited about it.
• Less Legalism – Its dangerous, when giving a list like this, to think that following Jesus is about what you do, it’s not. Following Jesus is about who you are, and where you find power for living your life. Its about loving Jesus and following Him so closely that each of these areas of life I’m talking about naturally gravitates into a way of living that is more like Jesus. Living for Him is never about a check list.

There are more things to work on, and as they come to mind I might share them as well. But, until then, please share what you are working on so that the way you live your life correctly reflects what you believe. This is such a tough issue, I believe that there is a lot we can learn from one another. I hope you will take a few moments to be transparent and share here.