Jeff Adams

It seems I hit a nerve last night with the posting on Zak’s story. Sincere thanks to those of you who shared your thoughts and comments here and on FaceBook. I especially loved these poignant words by Vickie, who commented on her sister’s loss of her young husband to cancer: [her ministry to her husband] has shown me the inhumanity of cancer and the humanity of the ones that love the stricken. Thanks for that, Vickie.

Recently, we lost a beloved staff member to cancer way before we were ready to turn loose of her. I was just on FaceBook following the story of some distant cousins of mine whose infant son is fighting for his life. Every Monday our staff meets for prayer, and not a time goes but what we are asking God to intervene in the lives of those who are ill. Sometimes God chooses to heal miraculously and at other times he uses illness to accomplish his purposes in other ways. I think I’ll make some comments about that maybe tomorrow.

Right now, Vickie’s words remind me of how important it is for us to offer a touch of humanity to those who are hurting. Last night two Muslim men confined to wheelchairs, recent immigrants,  came to our prayer ministry. A wonderful couple in our church is mentoring them through their adjustment to life in our culture. I met them recently in a lunch we sponsored for a number of such folks that are being mentored by volunteers from our church in cooperation with the Jewish Vocational Services. Others prayed with them throughout the course of the evening. At the conclusion, I thought it important that I reach out to them, too. I went first to one, then the other, and asked if I might pray a blessing over them. As I prayed, each gripped my hand tightly and began to weep. They couldn’t even understand everything I said. They simply felt the human touch. As I concluded my prayer, one of the men, still weeping cried out to Isa (Jesus) and then kissed my hand.

I was leaving the office in a hurry this afternoon and greeted a couple sitting in the waiting area as I walked by. I was briefly detained by a staff member asking a question. Continuing my walk, the man from the waiting area was now beside me asking if he could talk as I walked.

“Sure,” I said as I continued my pace.

“My daughter was the one killed in that car crash Sunday at (he gave me the intersection).  She wasn’t officially a member here, nor are we. But we  attend from time to time and wanted to see about having her service here. Her sisters attend here also.”

I stopped dead in my tracks.

“I saw you and thought maybe you could put in a good word for us.”

“Come with me,” I said, reversing my course and headed back into the office to personally connect them with the right party.

“I know you are a busy man and I don’t want to keep from what you have to do.”

“Look,” I said, “there is absolutely nothing in my life that is even as remotely important as what you are dealing with right now.”

He choked back tears; we continued our trajectory toward the office.

Nothing I mentioned above was a sacrifice or cost me anything, not even much time. The effect of a human touch in every case was priceless. I would like to say I have always been so sensitive to people in need. I’m ashamed to say that I have not.

I am learning, though, that people all around me are hurting. I used to worry that I would not know what to say. I still don’t know what to say. Most of the time it’s best not to say much at all, but it’s simply the human touch empowered by the Spirit of God that ministers to the hurting heart. To paraphrase the famous quotation from Francis of Assisi, “When people are hurting, preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.”

Monday and Tuesday found me in Springfield, Missouri speaking to a group of pastors from surrounding states and to students at a Bible College. I had not been on the campus of this particular campus for years, but I was pleased to discover a couple of friends from many years ago, including the college president whom I had last seen in a similar position in Boston. I love being around students and I love to reconnect with old friends.

Another person with whom I reconnected was a man named Jim Smith. No, that’s really his name. His father was also named Jim Smith, and was sent out from our church as a missionary to Mexico in the early 50’s. All of his ten children faithfully serve God.  His namesake ended up ministering for many years in Quito, Ecuador. The amazing Rachel Saint was a member of his church in her later years, and it was my joy to meet her there and enjoy dinner in her home.  When I was last with Jim and his wife Sharon in Quito, his children, Zack and Stacy were still at home. Great kids! Jim is now a mission executive and Sharon also works in the office.

Jim and I exchanged a good Latin abrazo and relished the moment of seeing each other again after so many years. Jim is an upbeat, pleasant man who is very comfortable wearing a smile most of the time. We caught up on a number of life’s details.

Zach is married, has three children and living in Anderson, South Carolina, Jim told me.

His next words were like a surprise kick in the gut.

Zach has stage 4 colon cancer and will probably die in the next few months.

I hurt because my brother was hurting. I stopped and prayed for them right then and there.  Do you every pray when you have no idea what to say?

Then, we walked across the street to Sharon’s office so I could pray over them again without knowing what to say except to commend them to the grace of a loving God.

Zach tells his story on YouTube and it’s pretty powerful.

Lost in Reflection

The remnant of Jews in Nehemiah’s day assembled together to worship God and pray to reestablish the foundations of Hebrew society. As they prayed, they listed all the many ways God provided for them and their ancestors and also their continued disobedience.  In the Nehemiah study this morning I took this example to say that two obstacles that can keep us from fulfilling the mission God has for us are pride and failure to grow.

Grow is the one word theme we have adopted for this year. Both as an individual and as the church we are asking God to grow. Not only do I want to avoid pride by surrendering the control of my life to God, I want to learn from my sin and mistakes, avoiding them in the future. So, along with you, I am examining my life and assessing those areas where I need to grow.

This assessment of areas where growth is needed is all part of the discipleship process. When Paul left Titus in Crete, he gave him the following instructions. He was to find out what was lacking in the lives of the believers and fill the void. Then, he was to reproduce himself by developing other leaders (Titus 1:5).

We have been through a wonderful week of The Summit. There is a growing sense and awareness that God is doing something special. Let’s not blow it! Let’s set aside our pride and learn from past mistakes. Let’s examine our lives, find out what’s lacking and fill the voids. Then, let’s grow and reproduce ourselves in others!

I slept in a couple of hours yesterday and it felt really good. Getting caught up on sleep after a busy week is nice when possible. Today, it was back to an early wake up to teach my mission class in Shepherd School.

For months we prayed along with the Student Mission Council that The Summit would not be just a conference, but the beginning of engagement in God’s mission for many people as they enter the story of God’s Kingdom. Each night during The Summit in my role as the closer, I pointed out specific ways to enter the story. Whether praying, giving, or going, there are practical steps for anyone to take.

There was a time when I thought I would take tomorrow morning (Sunday) as a time to reflect on what God has done at The Summit. However, as I looked over the passage in Nehemiah that corresponds to our series, I decided to stay the course, as the passage really does make for a nice follow up.  The Jewish inhabitants of Nehemiah’s day were rebuilding the foundations of Hebrew society and stepping up to own responsibility in God’s mission. Only two obstacles could keep them from fulfilling the mission. I’m calling this study “Two Buts and a Sure Bet.”

There is a positive buzz going around on the day after The Summit. The energy is the church has been palpable.

This morning we hosted the annual public meeting of the BKA, the alliance of churches dedicated to being ambassadors of God’s love to the K people. For me, the highlight was the collection of testimonies from several pastors who are members of the BKA. As a result of the meeting this morning, four Spanish-speaking churches joined at full partnership level. I am thrilled about that! I think some other churches represented will be joining in the future.

This coming Sunday morning I will follow up on what has been happening this week in our Nehemiah study. God is doing some wonderful things among us. What can possibly stop us? That’s precisely what I want to discuss Sunday morning. See you there!