helen roseveare - Prairie - Christian College Education
Transcription
helen roseveare - Prairie - Christian College Education
a m i n i s t r y Family Matters Why we chose football over Facebook Frontlines Prairie’s new President on the challenge of rebuilding o f p r a i r i e b i b l e i n s t i t u t e HELEN ROSEVEARE How Her Darkest Chapter Brought Light to Millions issue eighty-five frontlines Called to Rebuild I’ve been meditating on an ancient book lately. Penned around 425 B.C., it is as relevant as any classic or contemporary bestseller on effective leadership. The author, a personal butler to the king of Persia, was called from obscurity to a work of great importance for God. In his book we find a roadmap to help us handle criticism, discouragement, a cranky boss, personal challenges, and rebuilding walls that have crumbled. You’ve likely guessed that the book is Nehemiah. Just an ordinary man with a prepared heart, he was in the right place at the right time for God to turn him into one of the most significant leaders in Jewish history. When Nehemiah heard that the Temple back in Jerusalem was being reconstructed, he knew there was no wall to protect the city, so he asked God to let him go and help. The king released Nehemiah and despite great opposition the wall was built and the enemies silenced. But when Nehemiah left, Jerusalem fell back into apostasy. Twelve years later he returned to find the walls strong but the people weak. So he set about the task of teaching morality, reestablishing true worship through prayer, and encouraging the people to revival by reading and adhering to the Word of God. I recently accepted the challenge of taking the reigns at one of Canada’s most historic and well-established Bible colleges. I am honored, but it has certainly crossed my mind that I am about as unlikely a choice for this task as Nehemiah was for his. After all, I am just a “businessman with a Bible.” But God is able. We too are facing great challenges. Walls need to be rebuilt and trust re-established and Nehemiah’s example serves us well in these days: 1. God’s work is built on the cornerstone of prayer. As a staff we gather each Monday for an invigorating time of prayer. I wish you could join us as we take our needs before God and watch Him answer. He has blessed us with harmony, a sense of His abiding presence, and a renewed purpose as we march forward on our knees. 4. God’s work requires community. Nehemiah instructed his people to join together when they heard the trumpet call (4:20). He did not attempt the task alone; in fact, he was just one of the many swash-buckling brick layers. Please consider this the sound of the trumpet, because we need your help. A very real and present need is the renovation and repair of our dorms. We are already seeing an increase in students as our re-tooled, one-year Bible program is resonating with many students, parents, and pastors who understand the importance of a solid foundation in the Scriptures. We believe that God will bring even more young people to our campus and we need to be ready with adequate housing for them. In this issue we celebrate the “rebuilders.” You will love our “Innerview” with one of my missionary heroes, Helen Roseveare. A true rebuilder of bodies and souls in Africa, at age 85 Helen continues to inspire millions and she is excited about Prairie’s commitment to the inerrancy of God’s Word. We are excited to welcome her to our Global Connections Conference in February of 2011. We want you to know that we are on-mission “to know Christ and make Him known,” with a renewed commitment to Bible teaching, discipleship lifestyles and service in mission and ministry. Will you partner with us as we rebuild on the prairies? PS: George Verwer of Operation Mobilization will be here November 5, 6, and 7, 2010. Watch for news. S Mark Maxwell is President of Prairie Bible Institute. You can reach him at [email protected] I believe God’s work will be built up as we move forward on our knees. 2. Along with prayer, God’s work requires action. In line with our founding motto, “To know Christ and make Him known,” our faculty has incorporated in the Bible College line-up a Bible-drenched, oneyear program of biblical foundations. Valuable to anyone’s walk with God, Encounter will prepare students for university, the marketplace or continued Bible training. This course (see back cover) includes Apologetics and Communication, but its primary text is the Bible. In addition, our aviation school (PSMA) and College of Applied Arts and Technology (PCAAT) continue on, purposefully integrating Bible into their coursework and preparing students for missions and ministry. 3. God’s work involves reconciliation. Nehemiah tells us that, “Those who were rebuilding the wall and those who carried burdens took their load with one hand doing the work and the other holding a weapon” (4:17). While we build, we are in a battle. There will always be opposition when we are about God’s work, but often criticism can be constructive and lead to restoration. God has been very good in allowing us to find favor with others in this community and beyond. 2 servant issue eighty-five 2010 Exciting things are afoot at Prairie Bible Institute. Join our new president Mark Maxwell, author Phil Callaway, and Development Director Wayne Nelson for an unforgettable evening of laughter, challenge, and hope. “What Prairie needs is raving fans! Count me in!” –George Verwer Times and locations will be announced soon. Check us out at www.prairie.edu/events letters What a great issue of Servant. It looks like Prairie is back on track with its historic mission. That is a comfort to alumni like me. I quoted your Family Matters cartoon: “Were you pretty when Daddy asked you to marry him?” to one of my best friends and even personalized it. His wife was ready to shoot me! We all had a good laugh! Thanks for the ministry of Servant. 1974 has, like my running, seen more episodes of pain than experiences of pleasure. As I commence my sixtieth year, I am so thankful my Father has revealed to me that I am not the one running this race. Jack Chapin, Venice, FL I take strong exception to Chuck Colson’s comment (Innerview) that “when doctrine and truth are abandoned...you get another religion called liberalism.” In reality, those who intentionally deny Christian values often identify themselves as agnostic, humanistic, non-theistic, or atheistic. Liberals don’t “abandon” truth; while holding high values of integrity, they often view matters through different lenses than do scriptural literalists, considering additional factors that they believe are important such as scholarship, tradition, history, and reason. We need to be fair in affirming that liberalism is a positive belief system, not a negative one, even when disagreeing with it. Kenneth Kepler, Port Huron, MI I enjoy reading every issue of Servant. Thanks for your great work. I too share the passion for running and the obligatory pain as expressed by Prairie faculty member David Atmore in “Secrets of a Successful Runner.” My life pilgrimage, since graduating from PBC in Ellis Henricks, Woodstock, ON It was neat to read about the PBI - Ontario connection even before Mr. Maxwell came to Alberta back in 1922 (“Legacy of a Love Story”). I love the way Bernice Callaway’s account shows how God worked from generation to generation. We expect everything to zip through on fast-forward, but God is so patient. Mary Waind, Elora, ON I enjoyed “Letter to Jeff” (Family Matters). If Phil wants to sneak in a twist to his son’s wedding, here’s an idea. At the ceremony for one of my brother’s children, when the minister said, “You may now kiss the bride,” selected family and friends rushed forward to get the first kisses in before the groom had a chance to react. There were lots of laughs. When Dad himself married again after his wife passed away, he instructed the pastor to forego the time-honored statement. However, we still found a way to get in on it. Thanks, Phil, for all the laughs through the years. Hugh Ouwehand ne Join us onli ith other To interact w these and t ou ab s reader join the other other issues, r new website, members at ou om. tmagazine.c www.servan ck issues and You’ll enjoy ba blog, too. y’s wa Phil Calla How to reach us: Email [email protected], leave a brief message at 1-800221-8532, or write us through the enclosed envelope. Letters may be edited for space and clarity. Moving? Let us know by email or call 1-800-221-8532 and tell us both your old and new address. Join us on Facebook: For interaction with other subscribers, daily updates, and some fun too, search for “servant magazine.” in this issue 5 Plan B When we don’t get what we want Publisher Prairie Bible institute President Mark Maxwell 12 Alumni in Action Opportunity of her lifetime Editor phil callaway Assistant Editor pat massey Design two 01 studio SOURCES FOR NOW YOU KNOW, PAGE 8: 1. The Reason For God, Tim Keller. For more, see The Next Christendom, Philip Jenkins; 2. Amnesty International; 3. Sports Illustrated explains that they squander millions due to bad decisions, lavish spending and poor financial planning; 4. Harper’s; 5. www.thepinkcross.org; 6. For Better, by Tara Parker-Pope; 7. www.thepinkcross.org; 8. Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition, Daniel Okrent; 9. For Better, by Tara Parker-Pope • Cover illustration by Dennis Currie • Servant (ISSN 0848-1741) is published three times a year by Prairie Bible Institute, a non-profit educational organization founded in 1922. Prairie’s primary mission is to Know Christ and Make Him Known. Servant is dependent on the gracious gifts of Prairie alumni, donors and friends. Its purpose is to edify, exhort and encourage today’s Christian. Third class mail, return postage guaranteed. Change of address notices, undeliverable copies send to Servant Magazine, Box 4000, Three Hills, AB, T0M 2N0. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Printed in Canada. Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. Moving? Send us your old and new addresses. servant issue eighty-five 2010 3 real issues I was ready for a change. After working with words most of my life—writing, preaching and giving counsel—it was time to work with my hands. And so began a 3½-year adventure on a carpentry crew. Dale, our foreman, was willing to hire me with whatever building skills I had to offer (basically zero) and I would learn on the job. This was a welcome opportunity since I had always wanted to work with wood. But along the way I got an unexpected bonus: a whole new understanding of what it means to be apprenticed by Jesus Christ. It would change both my personal life and the way I teach in the classroom today. In his forties, Dale had a crew of three men, all ‘twentysomethings’. Then I arrived. Not only was I the oldest member of the team, I was also the least experienced, which meant I had a clearly defined role: do the basic tasks so that everybody else could get on with their skilled labour. I’ll never forget spending almost eight hours underneath a mobile home, on my back in the dark, removing batts of insulation from between the floor joists and pushing them with the nearest leg or arm into piles to be dragged outside. I learned the value of two things: dust masks and living in the present moment (some call it patience). Lunch and coffee breaks suddenly took on new meaning. I suspected that I was being tested. Could this former pastor do the dirty jobs without complaining? Does he practice what he preached? I had ample opportunity to ponder Jesus’ comment that “he that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much” (Luke 16:10). Lesson one for apprentices of the Savior: be faithful with the assignment you are given, no matter how small or unpleasant. Dale brought out the best in every worker with his sense of excellence and remarkable patience. He had a reputation for high The Apprentice This desire for excellence was contagious. As new young workers were later hired, they saw that ethos in action and rose to the challenge. At the same time, Dale was incredibly patient with our goof-ups, even though some of them were costly. He was never surprised at our mistakes because he’d made them all himself at some time or other. And when it came to teaching someone why a job was better done this way than that way, he would come up with some wise saying. Installing J-channel around exterior windows the right way became obvious when he said, “Just think like a drop of water.” I’m convinced that Dale’s apprentices did so well because their boss loved his work. But even more, he cared about each worker and he gave us a sense of confidence that was vital to our efforts. Because he valued us, we would do anything to hear his “Well done.” Lesson number two: nothing motivates an apprentice of Jesus like personal care (“Love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:12). I came to see carpentry as basically three activities: measuring, cutting, and fastening. A proper job means getting all three right. I soon discovered a fourth activity that kept sabotaging my best efforts: assuming. It was an old mental habit that had never served me well and my new job helped me face up to it. Here are some slipshod assumptions that wasted valuable time: •The corners in this kitchen I’m renovating are perfectly square. •You want three pieces cut at 8¾”, 6 7/8”, and 7 5/8”? I can remember that. •I’ll just cut all ten studs for this basement wall the same length because the floor is always level. A newly cut piece of wood may not talk to you, but it will stare you in the face and show you when you’re out ¼ inch. Every time. Working with wood, you know when you’re getting it right. Not so with ideas. I could carry around false ideas in my head for years without getting a reality check. Lesson number three: just as there is no room for wishful thinking on the worksite, so there is no room for it in the life of the church. Faith in Jesus Christ isn’t just an idea we have in our heads; it’s what we practice and how we live that counts. “Faith without works,” said James, “is dead” (2:17). Eventually I became skilled at things like framing, insulating, siding, roofing and tearing apart bathrooms. But I also internalized a set of habits that work in any setting: keeping your eyes and ears open, noticing when a crew member needs help, cooperating with all the other trades, attending to details, and teaching the new guy the way you were taught. Whether in a local church fellowship or a Ritchie White: I suspected I was being tested: did this Bible college setting, I now find myself thinking in terms like apprenticeship, crew, and building former pastor practice what he preached? project. God the Master Builder has already modeled this for us (“He that built all things is quality work, whether it was building a shed, doing renovations, or God.” Heb. 3:4) and I believe He can shed new light on what we’re constructing a new home. And he expected each of us to match his about as the Body of Christ. S standard, even if it meant taking a little longer to do it. Indeed, in Ritchie White (MDiv, MTh) teaches Old Testament the few years I was part of the crew, two of his apprentices finished studies at Prairie Bible College. number one in their programs. 4 servant issue eighty-five 2010 pLAN by pete wilson Do you remember the day you discovered your life wasn’t going to turn out quite the way you thought? Maybe the realization hits you in the form of illness or death—a terrifying diagnosis, a sudden descent into the world of hospital beds and IVs, the sudden loss of a close friend or family member. Maybe it involves a disillusioning church experience or a financial reversal or a career dream that keeps being frustrated. You expected to finish your life with the partner you married. But it’s over and you’re hurt and disappointed. Or maybe, like my friend Dana, you just knew you would be married by now and have a family, but it’s not happening. Now every wedding she attends is a reminder that life isn’t turning out the way she expected. Keith and Sheila feel the same way when they receive a birth announcement or shower invitation. Four years ago they asked me to pray with them, but they are still without a baby. Sometimes life just falls apart with no explanation when we least expect it and you’re left wondering if God is still actively involved in your life or if you’re too broken and bruised to be healed. We all have expectations of the way our lives are going to be. If you’re a Christian, you may well have assumed God wanted it for you as well. You were pretty sure he was going to sweep down and provide for you as only he could do. But it didn’t happen. And you’re frustrated. Or hurt. Or furious. Or all of the above. What do you do when you have to turn to Plan B? plan b the disappointment the haunting question I planted my first church in Morgantown, KY right after college. It was a small church and people like Dan and Kimberly Flowers were the perfect volunteers, willing to do anything that was needed. Then, all of a sudden, they just disappeared. I finally called and they told me that they couldn’t come back to church because their unwed daughter Kelly was pregnant. I told them that not only would they be welcomed back but that nothing would make me happier than to see Kelly get involved as well. I was so proud of our congregation over the next several months as they generously reached out to that family. Week by week, as Kelly’s pregnancy progressed, I could see her life being transformed by the love of God’s people. One Saturday afternoon I showed up at the church just as a group of women were holding a baby shower for Kelly. Most of them couldn’t have been more different from her. And yet they were extending a love that was beyond themselves. The highlight of the shower was a beautiful white dress with little pink flowers that one of the women had bought. Kelly was so excited. She immediately squealed, “This is the dress she’s going to wear home from the hospital.” I remember getting into my car that afternoon thinking, This is what God’s church is all about! When the time came, I rushed to the hospital to wait with Dan. He told me that Kelly had chosen to call the baby Grace, and he thanked me for everything the church had done to show God’s love to his daughter. All of a sudden, Kimberly stuck her head out the door. “Please pray,” she begged. “Something is terribly wrong.” For the next ten minutes Dan and I just sat there, not saying a word but praying like never before. Then Kimberly came out again, crying uncontrollably. The umbilical cord had wrapped around the baby’s neck and despite their best efforts, the doctors had not been able to resuscitate little Grace. I would like to tell you that in that moment I stepped up to the plate and did something really pastoral—quoted Scripture, perhaps, or led the family in a prayer. But I didn’t. I just stood there in silence as Dan and Kimberly cried and held one another. Then Kimberly said, “Pete, Kelly would like to see you.” I remember thinking, Like now? I just wanted to run and hide because I was totally unprepared for that moment. The room was dark and quiet and Kelly was sitting on the bed, holding Grace and speaking to her little girl as if her tiny heart was still beating. Finally she looked at me with big tears in her eyes and simply asked, “Why?” I didn’t know what to say. “It just doesn’t make sense,” she added. “After all God has done to restore my relationship with my parents and to show me who he is, why would it all end like this?” I didn’t have a good answer for her that day and still don’t. I don’t spend much time questioning “Does God exist?” The question that resurfaces for me again and again has more to do with all the unexplainable pain and hurt in this world. And after a lot of time studying and pondering, I’m still not sure I understand. I stayed with Kelly and her parents and mostly we just sat there, silently praying and staring at one another in disbelief. The funeral home took the baby away in that pretty little white dress with the tiny pink flowers. I cried the whole way home. I cried because I hurt for Kelly and her family. I cried because I couldn’t understand why God would allow this to happen. How am I going to explain this to my church? I wondered. How do I tell them God didn’t show up? In a way, those questions still haunt me. But I’ve learned a few things since then that have helped. Suddenly Kimberley door. “Please pray,” is terribly wrong.” 6 servant issue eighty-five 2010 abandon or worship There were times in my life when well-meaning people told me: “God will never give you more than you can handle.” It sounds so sweet and biblical, like something my grandmother would have done in needlepoint and hung on the wall in her house. The problem is, nothing could be further from the truth. The Bible is packed with stories of individuals who faced situations that were completely beyond what they could handle and they had to choose—either abandon God or worship him. We are stripped bare and what we believe in our heads becomes a belief that permeates every fiber of our beings. I relinquish what I cling to for identity. I let go of that which holds me back from intimacy with God. These are crucial moments when God is trying to get you to surrender your plans in order to receive his. It’s stuck her head out the amazing the bright light our lives become when we give him all we she begged. “Something have in the midst of the darkness. pete wilson don’t walk alone When we’re hurt or doubting, questioning and crying, we need community more than ever. And yet, because of the pain it’s easy to miss the people God puts in our lives to offer comfort and strength in the midst of the darkness. It’s my observation that one of the single most important factors in whether we lean on God or not is the group of people we have around us. Separated from community, we tend to think the worst and tilt toward hopelessness. But while authentic community doesn’t take away the pain, it certainly helps reframe it. You can continue to try to mask the hurt and grow bitter and lonely. Or you can begin to trust that God’s presence is evident in those he has placed around you and take the risk of opening up your life to others. waiting on God We talk a lot about Good Friday when redemption happened through the shedding of Christ’s blood. Easter Sunday is a day of celebration because Jesus conquered death so we can have life. But we don’t hear a lot about Saturday. Saturday seems like a day when nothing is happening. It’s a day of questioning, doubting and waiting, a day of hopelessness when we wonder if God is asleep or simply powerless to do anything about our problems. Is it possible, though, that Saturday is actually a day of preparation when God’s getting ready to do his best work in us? While life is uncertain, God is not. While our power is limited, God’s is limitless. He still has the whole world in his hands. While our hope may be fragile, God is hope itself. Your world may feel chaotic, but God is still in control. And one way or another, Sunday is Spiritual about to dawn. living in the questions transformation doesn’t take place when we get what we want. It takes place while we’re waiting and trusting, even though we have yet to receive. In the days after baby Grace died, I ran from the pain and uncertainty. I talked about God because it was my job, but I was preaching about someone I didn’t know if I trusted anymore. Sadly, I wasn’t the only one running. Kelly started getting into drugs and I found myself driving around with Kimberly in the middle of the night, looking for her daughter who had not been home for days. When we give up on God, we easily fall into harmful behavior that hurts ourselves and others. But when you’ve been stripped of everything, that’s when you need God more than ever before. Things may not be turning out the way you expected, but that doesn’t mean your life is spinning out of control. It just means you’re not in control and in those moments you can learn to trust the only one who has ever had control in the first place. Sometimes God wants us to live inside of the questions, to linger in the waiting, hoping, praying. In fact, sometimes it’s right in the middle of our darkness that God speaks most clearly. Our very faith was born out of uncertainty and despair. In the seeming tragedy of the cross the pain of “you will have trouble” meets the triumph of “I have defeated the world.” Spiritual transformation doesn’t take place on Sunday when we get what we want. It takes place on Saturday while we’re waiting and trusting, even though we have yet to receive that for which we long. The cross is a reminder that God can and will redeem our circumstances. He’s already taken the darkest event in history and turned it into the best thing that ever happened. And that’s a reason to keep hoping even when we must watch and wait. I am asking you to trust the God who loves you, who is reshaping you into who you need to be. I’m asking you to trust that faith will win over doubt, light will win over darkness, love will win over hate, and all things will one day be redeemed. I’m asking you to trust the process that is going on in your life. God will finish what he started. Wait for it. S © 2009 by Pete Wilson. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson Publishers. For your copy of the Book Plan B by Pete Wilson, see the enclosed return envelope. servant issue eighty-five 2010 7 world update Afghanistan Politician wants Christians executed Afghani believers are concerned following threats issued in Parliament by the deputy secretary. After a video broadcast on TV that showed Christian converts being baptized and praying in Farsi, Abdul Sattar Khawasi said, “Those Afghans that appeared in this video film should be executed in public. The house should order the attorney general and the NDS (intelligence agency) to arrest and execute them.” The report also triggered a protest by students at the University of Kabul where crowds estimated in the hundreds shouted death threats and demanded the expulsion of Christian foreigners accused of proselytizing. Many national believers are hiding in fear of their lives. Brazil 90,000 attend Franklin Graham Festival More than 700 local churches and thousands of volunteers partnered with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association to draw 90,000 people to the Festival of Hope in Belo Horizonte, Brazil in May, 2010. Crowds of 10,000 on the opening night had grown to more than 25,000 by the final evening and over the three days 3,900 responded to the message of salvation. Only 19 percent of the people in the country’s third largest city are considered evangelical and Graham’s Festival of Hope was the first of its kind. Laos Displaced Christians suffer critical illnesses Lao believers forced from their village in Saravan Province in January are suffering from prolonged lack of adequate food and clean water, which has led to disease and general weakness and the death of one person. Expelled from their village at gunpoint on January 18 for failing to renounce their faith, the 48 Christians built temporary shelters at the edge of the jungle about four miles from the village and have been living on food from the jungle and well water that is unfit for cooking or drinking. A delegation of provincial and district officials led by the governor visited them at their jungle site in March and assured them of their legal right to embrace the faith of their choice and to live anywhere in the district. However, harassment by local leaders continues. face to face “I want atheism to be true and am made uneasy by the fact that some of the most intelligent and wellinformed people I know are religious believers,” admits philosopher Thomas Nagel in his book The Last Word. “It isn’t just that I don’t believe in God and, naturally, hope that I’m right in my belief. It’s that I hope there is no God! I don’t want there to be a God: I don’t want the universe to be like that.” In The Reason For God, New York pastor Timothy Keller credits Nagel’s respect toward belief and religion, then responds this way: “We should not try to ‘look into the sun,’ as it were, demanding irrefutable proofs for God. Instead we should ‘look at what the sun shows us.’ Which account of the world has the most ‘explanatory power’ to make sense of what we see in the world and in ourselves? We have a sense that the world is not the way it ought to be. We have a sense that we are very flawed and yet very great. We have a longing for love and beauty that nothing in this world can fulfill. We have a deep need to know meaning and purpose. Which worldview best accounts for these things?” “I commend Professor Nagel for his candidness about the connection between his belief in atheism and his desire for it to be true,” writes James Enns, Associate Professor of History at Prairie Bible College. “He has not arrived at belief in God’s non-existence because he was forced to by an airtight rational chain of reasoning, but rather because he already wanted this conclusion to be true. Nagel’s statement shows that we never form our beliefs by reason alone, but that we are as much desiring beings as we are rational ones. God cares about our desires, and appeals to us based on them: the Psalmist writes ‘Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart’ (Ps. 37:4). Nagel helpfully reminds us that gospel proclamation needs to address our heart’s desires and yearnings, not just our intellectual curiosity.” 8 servant issue eighty-five 2010 Now you know Korea has gone from 1% to 40% Christian in a hundred years Last year in Iran at least 388 executions were carried out. In Iraq: 120, in Saudi Arabia: 69, in China: it was in the thousands Almost 80% of National Football League players are flirting with bankruptcy two years after they retire. 60% of NBA players end up broke within 5 years of retirement Chance that an Afghan will report being tortured in his or her lifetime: 1 in 5 65 percent of high school students admit to unsafe, inappropriate, or illegal activities online 81% of college grads who wed in the ‘80s at 26-plus were still married 20 years later 66% of pornography performers have Herpes, a non-curable disease In 1830 the average American was guzzling the equivalent of 1.7 bottles of hard liquor per week, three times the amount consumed today 23% of college graduates who married in the ‘70s split within 10 years. For those who wed in the ‘90s, the rate dropped to 16% Sources listed on page 3. online Windows on trends, beliefs, and values meditation “[Biblical] salvation lies not in an escape from this world but in the transformation of this world….You will not find hope for the world in any of the religious systems or philosophies of humankind….The Biblical vision is unique. That is why when some say there is salvation in other faiths too, I ask them—‘What salvation are you talking about?’ No faith holds out a promise of eternal salvation for the world—the ordinary world—that the cross and resurrection of Jesus do.” –Vinoth Ramachandra, a Sri Lankan Kindergarten of good and evil Contradicting psychological heavyweights like Sigmund Freud and Jean Piaget, who had us believe that people start their life as amoral animals, researchers from Yale say that babies appear to have a basic moral code from as early as six months. “A lot of philosophers and psychologists used to believe that babies started off knowing nothing,” says Paul Bloom, a professor of psychology at Yale University who has led the research. “In the domain of morality many people believed that babies started off as little psychopaths, indifferent to the suffering of others and not knowing right from wrong. But in our labs we are finding a surprisingly rich understanding of morality even in the youngest babies that we test.” Bloom says that a growing body of evidence suggests that humans have a rudimentary moral sense from very early on: “With the help of well-designed experiments, you can see glimmers of moral thought, moral judgment and moral feeling even in the first year of life. Some sense of good and evil seems to be bred in the bone.” According to Bloom, if we didn’t start out with this basic code, we would be nothing more than amoral agents who are ruthlessly driven to pursue our self-interest. recommended Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites… and Other Lies You’ve Been Told (Bradley R.E. Wright, Bethany House) “The odds against a universe like ours emerging out of something like the Big Bang are enormous. I think there are clearly religious implications,” says Stephen Hawking in Francis Collins’ book The Language of God. “It would be very difficult to explain why the universe would have begun in just this way except as the act of a God who intended to create beings like us.” “I have more money that my grandchildren’s grandchildren can spend.” –Country superstar garth Brooks “I’m very religious,” Lady Gaga told Larry King. “I was raised Catholic. I believe in Jesus. I believe in God. I’m very spiritual. I pray very much. But at the same time, there is no one religion that doesn’t hate or speak against or be prejudiced against another racial group or religious group, and/or sexual group. For that, I think religion is also bogus. So I suppose you could say I’m a quite religious woman that is very confused about religion. And I dream and envision a future where we have a more peaceful religion or a more peaceful world, a more peaceful state of mind for the younger generation. And that’s what I dream for.” In the wake of the 2004 tsunami that took the lives of 225,000 people, a Buddhist, Muslim, and Christian offered their perspectives on public radio. The Buddhist said he did not believe in a personal god and saw natural disasters as an inevitable part of fate. The Muslim said that perhaps natural disasters come as a punishment or a warning to Muslims who had not been taking their religion seriously. After reminding listeners that most of the tsunami victims were either Buddhist or Muslim, the commentator turned the microphone over to the believer, a representative of an international aid organization. “I have no good explanation for why such a thing happens,” he said “and cannot pretend to guess at God’s involvement. We are there on the ground because we follow a man who defined love by telling the story of a Good Samaritan reaching out to a person who was his ethnic and religious opponent. Jesus showed that same love, and we believe that by following Jesus we are doing God’s will on earth.” How Many Evangelicals Believe In… 87 86 Angels and Demons 82 Miracles 85 HeLL Heaven If you’ve read the many negative reports about the evangelical church in the media— Christian young people are leaving the faith in record numbers, the divorce rate among Christians is as high as those of nonbelievers, etc— you’ll enjoy seeing sociologist Wright shatter these popular myths, along with many others. Though decidedly American, the book provides a helpful response to those who seem to delight in a negative slant on statistics. Describing how we’re doing in areas like church growth, beliefs, participation in church activities, family and sexual issues, Wright uncovers surprising and encouraging news. quotEWorthy Source: Pew U.S. Religious Landscape Survey 2008 servant issue eighty-five 2010 9 innerview Helen Roseveare Is it worth it? When you’re ten years old and smack dab in the middle of a tackle football game, the last thing you want to hear is your dear mother yelling, “Philip, it’s time for the missionary meeting.” You consider running away and joining the circus. And when you finally obey, and your hair is slicked and you’re dragged to church where you find that the speaker is a short spinster with curly gray hair, you can’t help thinking of the huge sacrifice you are making and how grateful the grownups should be that you are not snoring by the first hymn. Dr. Helen Roseveare was at the podium that night. An English missionary to the Congo from 1953 to 1973, this skilled surgeon pioneered, practiced and taught medicine. I had plans of doodling and daydreaming, but when this dynamic woman launched into her story, I couldn’t stop listening. I wasn’t the only one. On another college campus the student men were summoned to a meeting with Helen. Like me, they were less than excited. Draped over couches, slumped on the floor, they viewed her with suspicion. Thick glasses. Simple cotton dress. Gray hair pulled back a little too tight. Two minutes into her testimony, Helen sensed the lack of interest and stopped. “I don’t want to bore you,” she said. “It’s late, why don’t we just take another ten minutes and I’ll answer questions. I’d rather talk about the things that interest you.” A hand shot up. “I’ve got a question,” said one self-assured young man. “Missionaries come through here all the time and they’re always talking about paying the price and suffering for Jesus. What did you ever suffer for Jesus?” dragged me out into a clearing, tied me to a tree, and stood around laughing. And while I was there, beaten and humiliated and violated, someone brought out the only existing hand-written manuscript of a book I had been writing about God’s work in the Congo over an elevenyear period. They put it on the ground in front of me and burned it.” As Helen watched the book go up in smoke, she cried out to herself: “Was it worth it? Eleven years of my life poured out in selfless service for the African people and now this?” As the students listened spellbound, she went on. “The minute I said that, God’s Holy Spirit settled over that terrible scene and He began to speak to me. ‘My daughter, the question is not “Is it worth it?” The question is “Am I worthy?” Am I, the Lord Jesus who gave His life for you, worthy for you to make this kind of sacrifice for me?’ And God broke my heart. I looked up and said, ‘Oh Lord Jesus, yes, it is worth it, for you are worthy.”’ Helen’s life of service was portrayed in the 1989 film Mama Luka Comes Home, which recounts her return to the Congo in 1966 to assist in the rebuilding of the nation. Since the hospitals she built were destroyed in the uprising, she helped establish a new medical school and hospital, practicing medicine until 1973. Government soldiers grabbed me. I was beaten and Today she lives in Northern Ireland, but savagely kicked, losing my back teeth. They broke my continues to speak at conferences and patiently glasses, so I could not see to protect myself from the answer questions from journalists like me who next blow. secretly wonder how a dynamite but diminutive woman can be used of God to draw so many to Himself. “How do you forgive those who Well,” Dr. Roseveare answered quietly, “during the Simba abused you?” I ask. “How can those who have suffered come to a uprising in the Congo, I was raped twice.” The room grew deathly point of peace…even joy?” quiet. “Government soldiers came to my bungalow, ransacked it, then “When I was being driven down the corridor of my home by grabbed me. I was beaten and savagely kicked, losing my back teeth those rebels, panic nearly seized my heart,” she recalls. “But God through the boot of a rebel soldier. They broke my glasses, so I could stepped in. I did not see a vision or hear a voice, but I just knew He was not see to protect myself from the next blow. Then, one at a time, there and in charge, and I had nothing to fear. God seemed to whisper two army officers took me to my own bedroom and raped me. They to me: ‘Can you thank Me?’ And I was ready to shout ‘No! This has 10 servant issue eighty-five 2010 Photo © 2010 Scott Frank Is it worth it? Helen Roseveare helen roseveare gone too far,’ when I realized that the Lord was saying: ‘Can you thank Me for trusting you with this situation?’ Amazing. God trusting me? It was as though He said: ‘Yes, I could have prevented this. But I have a purpose. You cannot understand now, but are you willing to be part of My purpose?’ ‘Yes, God,’ I tried to whisper back. ‘If you have a purpose in all this, thank you for trusting me to be part of it,’ and immediately I was flooded by His peace and a huge sense of privilege.” While her words echo Philippians 1:29, they seem foreign to our world: “For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for Him.” Aware that I sometimes complain about a hangnail, I ask, “But did you ever struggle to forgive those men?” Helen Roseveare with a needy African mother: “When I returned to “No,” she replies. “There was no sense of bitterness or even anger. I Congo and met the man who had humiliated me, I realized that I did was overwhelmed by the sense that God was graciously using me in His carry some resentment. I wasn’t sure I had forgiven him.” purpose. All He asked of me was the loan of my body. The consequences were His. A year later, when I returned to Congo and met the man who had humiliated me, I realized that I did carry some resentment and I asked the same question that Helen asked: Was it worth it? This was wasn’t sure I had forgiven him. But God led me to accept from Him the her conclusion: forgiveness that only God can give, and He gave me His peace again.” “Was it worth it? Does it make sense that five gifted young men Born in England in 1925, Helen grew up in Belfast, Northern should die for the sake of sixty people? By whose standards can we Ireland. She came to faith as a medical student at Cambridge answer that question? Lots of Auca Indians got saved. I’ve heard stories University in 1945, served in the Congo, before returning to of thousands of volunteers to the mission field. People everywhere tell England to nurse her dying mother. She then began writing Living me they were moved and changed by the story. Hundreds of young Sacrifice, a helpful and powerful book that is also surprisingly men have told me that the book The Shadow of the Almighty changed honest. “I looked back on my 20 years in Africa,” she admits, “to their lives. Suppose it’s all true—does that make it worth it? Suppose see if I had lived as my Savior wanted me to live and where I had for a moment that not one Auca Indian got saved, that not one person failed. And I tried to draw out lessons as to what it really means to ever heard the story of those five men, let alone was changed by it. live sacrificially in these days.” Would it be worth it?” It’s convicting, hearing a veteran saint tell how she could have Then she continued, “Yes! Why? Because the results of my done a little better: “I could have given in to God’s promptings more obedience to God are the business of God almighty who is sovereign. quickly, been less selfish and demanding of others. But I just thank It is the love of Christ which constrains us. There is no other motive God for all He has so lovingly and patiently taught me through so for missionary service that will survive the blows of even the first year. many years, and that despite mistakes I have made, He has still allowed We do it for Him.” me to teach the Word and share the Gospel. There is overwhelming Helen agrees. When I ask her to summarize her magnificent joy in leading others to put their trust in Jesus.” adventure of walking with God, she says, “I cannot describe the privilege Sacrifice seems a dated word in a society where we ‘deserve a of being allowed to serve Him and to show Him my love. He has never break’ and comfort is the selling feature for most products. Many let me down. He is always there, so quick to forgive and encourage.” Christians are more inclined to ask, “Sacrifice? Are you kidding? I Although she is entering her 85th year, Dr. Roseveare clearly seems want all I can get out of this world and heaven too.” surprised by my next question: “What are some keys to aging gracefully?” But Helen shakes her head. “To be a Christian,” she explains, “Keep on loving Jesus, fixing your eyes on Him,” she says. “Never “you must embrace the fact that Jesus Christ, God’s Son, sacrificed His count the cost in the sense of saying ‘Is it worth it?’ Ask instead, ‘Is all, dying for us on the Cross that we might be forgiven. Surely we should expect to live as closely like our Savior as we can. And in this world of In this world of ‘What can I get out of it?’ our whole ‘What can I get out of it?’ our whole emphasis has emphasis has to be ‘What can I put into it?’ to be ‘What can I put into it?’ Anyone who speaks that way cannot have fallen in love with Jesus or understood what God has done for us. We are so totally undeserving of God’s grace, how dare we demand anything?” He worthy?’ and you’ll always know that He is absolutely worthy of What practical advice does she have for up-and-coming anything you can give Him or do for Him. Growing older can be a very servants of God? uncomfortable stage of the journey, but each day I am one day nearer “Above all else, take daily quiet time apart with God. Let nothing home. I look forward so immensely to being with Him in glory, seeing squeeze this out of your timetable. This is where you grow, where Him face to face, and learning how to worship Him as I should.” He can teach and change you into His likeness, where He can speak And what would she like to be remembered for? to you, direct you, encourage you, and where He maintains the “That I loved Him. That I longed to know and love Him more, spirituality of your service. Paul said, ‘Pray continually.’ Does this and that I longed for all people to come to know sound impractical? It is scriptural, and the Lord knows just how busy Him as I had.” S you are. The busier you are, the more you need to pray. We have to –Phil Callaway learn to use all the spare moments and to bring everything to God in prayer. Nothing is too small or insignificant—the disappointments, To request a copy of Living Sacrifice, problems and joys. We can pray as we scrub up, as we wait for the see the enclosed envelope. To read the traffic lights to change, as we peel the potatoes.” rest of the interview with Helen, visit Prairie alumnus Elisabeth Elliot Gren, whose husband Jim Elliot www.servantmagazine.com was one of five men killed trying to reach the Auca Indians for Christ, servant issue eighty-five 2010 11 alumni in action Sinking her bare toes into the warm sands of the Arabian desert, 28-year-old Gertrude Dyck could hardly believe that only days ago she had left behind the sub-zero temperatures of her native Canada. The landscape before her was not so different from her beloved Saskatchewan prairies–except that the vast expanse was filled with sand instead of snow. Latifah The young farm girl had lost her mother at an early age and her father was left with the dilemma of raising three young girls. His answer was to send Gert and her sister off to boarding school in Three Hills, Alberta. As she attended first High School and then Bible College at Prairie, Gertrude’s long-standing desire to be a missionary took deep root. She was almost finished nurse’s training when word came that The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM) needed nurses for a tiny hospital in a far-away desert. Gert couldn’t resist the challenge. It was December of 1962 when the plucky girl boarded a plane for only the second time in her life. The arduous journey would take her to Rome, Beirut, Bahrain and finally Abu Dhabi in the Trucial States of the Middle East where life had changed little since the time of Abraham. Once known as the Pirate Coast, the barren lands at the southern end of the Persian Gulf were now a British protectorate bordered by Saudi Arabia and Oman. The world of the desert 12 servant issue eighty-five 2010 by Pat Massey Bedouin tribes was harsh and unforgiving, a terrain of massive red and gold sand dunes where the precious treasure of water was limited to the scattered oases. While Arab families elsewhere were typically large, death and disease were decimating the population of this backwater wasteland. Parents were fortunate to have even two or three living children, often less. The perils of desert life and crude birthing methods often made childbirth a death sentence with one in three mothers dying and half the babies having no chance of survival. Royalty was no better off than the common people and the ruling Sheikhs of Abu Dhabi state knew they had to do something. Impressed with mission hospitals in Muscat and Bahrain, they decided to set up a similar center in their own country, choosing as a location the historic oasis of Al Ain with its reliable water supply. Assured that they would be free to share their faith even in this Muslim nation, TEAM doctors Pat and Marion Kennedy arrived in November of 1960 to set up shop in a small, mudblock building. They were still unpacking when a patient in labor arrived at their door. Living in total isolation, the local people were suspicious of the newcomers and the first white woman they had ever seen, but when the baby was safely delivered by the American doctors, word spread like wildfire. Patients began arriving in latifah droves, coming at all hours by camel, donkey and on foot to set up camp on the hospital grounds. By the end of its fifth year, the hospital had registered 20,000 patients. All illnesses were treated, but it was the care of mothers and babies that broke through the fear. A new era had begun in the desert kingdom and the Oasis Hospital was its birthplace. Conditions were primitive. With no electricity, telephones, or roads and few supplies, the ingenuity of staff was taxed to the limit. Even intravenous liquids had to be concocted by hand. Gertrude pumped water manually from nearby wells and worked on maintenance along with her fellow nurses, suffering in 120 degree heat. Work hours were long and everyone was on call during emergencies. Although she had not been trained as a midwife, the young nurse from Canada was soon delivering babies—by the hundreds. The long days in maternity were all worthwhile, though, when she could gather the new mothers around her and watch them respond to the message of God’s love. Her understanding of Arabic was progressing quickly and she found real delight in leading gospel songs and presenting Bible lessons. Royalty were some of the hospital’s first patients and Gertrude got to know the family well. Gradually she became the one responsible for their care, a role which could be somewhat demanding. When a royal baby was born, far more attention was required than usual, but Gert wasn’t fazed and seemed to have as much patience with them as she did with the desert Bedouins. She soon came to be known as “Doctora Latifa”—an Arabic title referring to her gentle kindness and one that would stay with her for the rest of her days. In 1971 the British withdrew from the Persian Gulf and the United Arab Emirates was formed. With the discovery and production of oil, new-found wealth catapulted the country almost overnight into a dizzying pace of modernization. With the development of presentday wonder cities like Dubai, the UAE became the watchword for extremes in architecture and business. The city of Al Ain blossomed too and soon surrounded Oasis Hospital, which kept growing to meet the demands of an expanding population. Once a simple date palm oasis, the “Garden City” now boasted parks and resorts, major highways and universities. Gertrude Dyck, who had shared in the rugged lifestyle and ancient customs of the desert world, now had a front-row seat for its transformation into a modern state. There were other changes. Gert’s letters home gradually began to reveal the subtle pressures that faced the work. When the revolution of 1979 made Iran an Islamic state, the whole of the Middle East was affected. It was no longer prudent to show favoritism to Christians, and gospel meetings at the hospital came to an end. Unsympathetic officials delayed needed building permits and limited the supply of necessary drugs. In the early years services with the in-patients were an enjoyable and fruitful part of the work. Now, witnessing for Christ had become dangerous and limited to sharing among friends as some believers were imprisoned. It was hard to discern whether the hospital was still having a spiritual impact. Gertrude’s role as a nurse was changing as well. “Instead of running up and down hospital corridors,” she wrote to friends, “I find myself sitting behind a desk teaching the ABC’s of Arabic.” It was her firm belief that no-one could truly understand a people until they also understood their language and it delighted her to introduce the fine points of the culture to new staff. As restrictions increased, it was easy to become discouraged and Nurse Dyck sometimes wondered if she was wasting her time. “But I am still convinced that God called me here,” she concluded, “and that my job is to ‘stick by the stuff’ and be faithful in what He gives me to do.” In the Gulf, wars raged around her, but the medical work carried on largely uninterrupted and construction began on a long-awaited new building. As retirement loomed, Gertrude struggled. In spite of the difficulties that often faced the hospital itself, compassionate service reaped its own reward and the patients continued to be warm and friendly. She was torn at the thought of leaving her adopted home. “God has given me this beautiful opportunity,” she the desert, of ld or w nt ie nc a nd a h rs After sharing the ha wealth nd ou -f w ne s a t en m ze a m a Gertrude watched in ay wonder. d ner od m a to in ry nt ou c e transformed th wrote, “of getting to know these Arabs who have become as close as family and with that opportunity, the privilege of proclaiming a living, loving, forgiving Savior to them. I want to finish well.” She knew the adjustment to Canadian life would be difficult but it seemed unavoidable. Then a Canadian company requested Gert’s help with cultural orientation for its employees in Abu Dhabi City. The job included a beautiful apartment and a trip back to Canada every summer to escape the heat, something she had privately longed for. God was caring tenderly for His child. Blessings continued to overflow. In 2002 Gertrude was called to Ottawa to receive the Order of Canada and the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Medal. It was a wonderful, unforgettable experience, but her heart remained in the Emirates and she returned to finish out her commitments. When health problems finally sent her home permanently, she settled into a retirement facility in Abbotsford, BC. But the irrepressible retiree was looking forward to returning to UAE in 2010 for the opening of the Doctor Latifa room at the Canadian Embassy there. It was not to be. On October 17 of 2009 Gertrude suffered a fall and six days later she entered the presence of her Lord. Her passing prompted deep mourning. Members of the royal family of the Emirates showered the memorial service in BC with flowers and sent their Ambassador to Canada to personally relay the heartfelt condolences of a grateful nation. While her medical legacy was unique, Gert’s personal photographs were an invaluable heritage as well. Taken to Abu Dhabi to go on permanent display at the Center of Research & servant issue eighty-five 2010 13 alumni in action Development, they will provide a remarkable future record of an era that is fast disappearing. The story of the little hospital that impacted a nation has also been preserved in her book The Oasis, published in 1995. Gertrude’s life-long friendships with the ruling class formed bonds with the hospital that continue to this day. Far removed from the days of simple mud and cement block buildings, a new, multi- We don’t need to see the results; they are all in God’s hands. He only asks us to be faithful. story state-of-the-art facility is now under construction with funding provided by the ruling Sheikh and President of the UAE and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. The life of Gertrude Dyck is aptly described in the words of Proverbs 31:30—“Her children rise up and call her blessed.” An article entitled “Mother to a Nation” in the official magazine of the UAE Embassy in Canada reads in part, “Gertrude dedicated 38 years to helping mothers give birth at Oasis Hospital. This was literally the gift of life during a time when childbirth often ended in death. Her memory will live on in the hearts of the people of the UAE for generations to come.” More than anything else, the years of challenge with little obvious spiritual fruit had required one thing: faithfulness. Along with thousands of Prairie alumni around the globe, the simple country girl from Canada would find ample opportunity to practice the same quality she had seen so often in her Heavenly Father. 14 servant issue eighty-five 2010 “Mother to a nation,” Gertrude Dyck left a unique medical and historical legacy to a grateful people. “God has been so faithful in directing and leading me,” she wrote as she neared the end of her career. “As I get older I find that I need more time “beside the still waters” and in those times He restores my soul. My strength is waning, but His strength renews and re-equips me to serve Him in new and exciting ways.” The secret of contented service, she concluded, was simply this: “We don’t need to see the results. They are all in God’s good hands. He only asks us to be faithful in what He has called us to do.” S Gertrude Dyck is an alumnus of Prairie High School (’53) and Prairie Bible College (’57) and recipient of the Order of Canada. family matters It’s payback time One of the most invigorating aspects of reaching old age is the anticipation you feel as your children set about establishing nests of their own. Sure, Ramona and I are experiencing the customary jolts of nostalgia as we remember the house as it once was: Noisy. Messy. Cloudy with a chance of incoming mud. But I can scarcely contain my excitement. They are flying from the nest. And I will soon have the opportunity to visit their homes. Here are just a few of the activities I have planned, should they choose to have us over for the weekend: When our kids were small a new principal came to town and promptly sissified the school. Fearful of lawsuits and emergency rooms, he insisted on removing swing sets and tetherball from the playground. He even levelled the King of the Castle Hill and banned score-keeping at soccer games. I fully expected him to coat the school in Styrofoam. By contrast, when I was knee high to a teeter-totter, I learned the way a monkey learns: You only put a fork in the light socket once. When someone yells, “Dogpile!” you look eager, but you move slowly. I licked a door knob in December at my brother’s request one time. Never again. And bullies are a horrible reality you’ll deal with all your life. Without them, I’d never have gotten into comedy. • Show up and announce, “I brought some friends. What’s for supper?” •Leave taps dripping, lights blazing, and an open mayo jar on the counter overnight. •Replace Michael Buble CDs with something from The Gaithers. •Use their phone to call friends in Singapore. •Crack the fridge door open for the night. •Gather wrenches and bury them (the wrenches, not the kids) in the sandbox. •Beat the wooden furniture with pillows until the stuffing is gone. •Invite six friends over about 10 PM. Say, “Go ahead and make yourselves sandwiches.” •Take everyone out for dinner and forget my wallet. When our daughter Rachael was ten she enjoyed an hour-long shower during which she forgot one essential bathtub safety rule: insert the curtain inside the tub. It’s surprising how much a ceiling can hold before its water breaks. Not to be outdone, Jeffrey wedged remote controls into bookcases. Steve enjoyed coating light switches with jam and honey. Where will I possibly find the time to re-enact all these grand memories in their houses? Increasingly my ministry is to help my offspring learn, as did I, to hold the stuff of earth loosely, and to practice Bible verses like “Count it all joy when you fall into various trials…” They will thank me for it one day. When Rachael was ten, she enjoyed an hour-long shower with the curtain outside the tub. Where will I find time to re-enact these memories in her house? Still greater anticipation greets me when I consider the prospects of grandchildren. Oh, the places we shall go; the pranks we shall play. I read of a 54-year-old grandma in the Florida Keys who was spotted driving around the parking lot with her three-year-old granddaughter perched atop her Lexus. According to the deputies who arrested her, Brenda Bouschet said she “was just giving the child some air and letting her have fun.” The child was in no danger, of course, as Brenda had one hand out the window, holding onto a leg. Like Brenda, I will be a magnificent grandparent. There will be no Playstation or X-Box. Instead, I will educate the grandbabies with hands-on experience. Phil and his newly-married son: “Jeff used to wedge remote controls into bookcases, so here are just a few of the activities I have planned, should they choose to have us over for the weekend…” I grew up in an era when monkey bars served to fortify the gene pool, if you catch my drift. You gained strength and confidence from doing something, not sitting on padded chairs chugging Coke and ingesting Youtube. I’ve had broken limbs. Each taught me an important lesson about gravity and stupidity, and provided a glorious story to tell the grandkids one day. We’ve begun praying for these grandchildren already. That they’ll join Jesus early on this grand adventure. I suppose my greatest fear is that the grandkids would settle in for an unexamined, comfortable, complacent life down here. To complicate things, I fear our culture has elevated safety to an unwholesome place. There is nothing safe about life or about faith. The Christianity I’ve embraced is not the indoor variety. It is no spectator sport. There are bruises to be had along this road. So when the grandkids come to our house we will choose football over Facebook and survival over Survivor. And, should I still have the energy, I will introduce them to the joys of grass stains, firecrackers and carving wooden whistles. And if they leave the shower curtain out, it won’t much matter. I’ll spend a few days at their parents’ house and everything will be fine. S Visit Phil Callaway at www.laughagain.org or join him on Facebook. servant issue eighty-five 2010 15 servant PO Box 4000 Three Hills, AB T0M 2N0 Canada Printed in Canada Return Service Requested servant PO Box 718 Shelby, Montana USA 59474 Printed in Canada Return Service Requested