Four cautions when studying the Bible

The first Bible I remember owning was a black bonded leather Revised Standard Version. It’s still around somewhere, though it’s really thrashed. But I have not tossed it. Are we allowed to?

It doesn’t seem right somehow to junk a Bible. But it is “just a book” in some ways, right? We do not worship the book itself. The term “bibliolatry” seldom comes up, but when is it in play? Do you ever put anything on top of your Bible? How would we know if our Bibles have become idols?

We can easily agree that it is the God of the Bible that we believe in and worship, and that it is the message of the Bible that we place our faith in. Yet, it seems pretty clear that we give some kind of honor to the actual book. It is, after all, the story of our triune God and his salvation. Heilsgeschichte, a German word literally translated “salvation history,” is such a great pseudonym for the Bible.

A few years ago I was working to restate our evangelical-Anabaptist core convictions, and I wrote: “The Bible is the only unfailing guide for peace with God, a fulfilled life and assurance of heaven.” That makes it, at very least, unique among books.

Now then, how we read the Bible also matters. I recently read an article that reminded me that we need to keep our minds in gear when we read the Scriptures, especially when we are reading devotionally or for personal nourishment. So let’s consider a few cautions.

One of the mistakes we make is to turn a proverb into a personal promise. How often have you heard Proverbs 22:6 explained this way? While it is generally true that children will not depart from the way in which they are trained, this proverb should not be understood as a blanket promise. While sharing pain with parents who have trained and nurtured well only to watch their adult children walk away from God, as a pastor I often wished it were a guarantee.

Another proclivity we have is to select or highlight a phrase or sentence of promise or blessing for personal application. While that may well have some desired impact, the original context of life process or condition in the text often tells of deep waters that were navigated before the relief showed up. And that doesn’t address the fact that these promises were often given to a particular person or group at a special time for particular reasons.

An additional concern grows out of a strong tendency in most of us to get things well ordered and categorized, especially in our philosophical and theological thoughts and beliefs. So the tendency is to wrestle every theological idea to the ground and then put it in its place. There are, however, biblical truths that stand in tension with each other. The classic illustration is the obvious tension between God’s sovereignty and mankind’s free will. This sort of tension becomes an occasion for us to dig in and defend our preferred understanding. And that’s the point. No one has full understanding or the final word.

One last caution flag: Are we willing to admit that it is our natural tendency to read the Bible from our personal and cultural contexts? When Jesus invites his followers to come to him for rest, we U.S. Mennonite Brethren may think of a gathered worship-learning time with our church family or spending time in our recliner, at a spiritual retreat or in personal devotions. What are our spiritual brothers and sisters in famine ravaged lands or war torn places thinking when they read that text?

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” is how Paul puts it (2 Tim. 3:16). But we need to be diligently thoughtful. It might be that some of us need to review and adjust our thoughts and attitudes about the leather and paper. Others of us may need to read more carefully. More importantly, let’s all live as real participants in God’s story of salvation.

 At our annual U.S. Mennonite Brethren (USMB) Leadership Summit in May, I asked those present to complete a survey recently prepared by George Bullard, a longtime churchman and currently president of The Columbia Partnership, an organization that consults with and resources churches and denominations.

The title of the survey, “Can denominations thrive in the 21st century,” captured my attention. It was a no-brainer. We needed to go through this exercise to see what we might learn. Denominationalism has fallen on hard times.

Thoughtful seekers view it negatively. Many congregants and their pastors wonder about its added value. The drift towards individualism and local self-determination has significant momentum.

In our national family of churches, we have avoided models of connectedness that are hierarchical and regulatory. So our collaborations and partnerships are pretty much viewed as voluntary. In decades past, most all of our pastors and church families chose faithful partnership and collaboration. Our churches and their leaders all pitched in for the sake of our together ministries. Partnering as one family on one mission was working well then. Today it’s not working as well. Is thriving a pipe dream?

Summit attendees include lead staff and board chairs from MB Biblical Seminary, MBMS International, MB Foundation, Tabor College, Fresno Pacific University and our districts. Our USMB board and staff are also present. The total possible survey rating is 200 points, so numbers in the higher 100s suggest a good grasp on present cultural realities, effective current ministries and reason for hope for the future.

A first glance suggests we have some work to do. Representatives from our educational institutions and collaborative ministries averaged 98 in their scoring. Is this disconcerting or a signal that these leaders are realistic and insightful and therefore will inform and educate us well? District and national leaders and staff averaged 115 points, and our USMB board scored an optimistic 135. Is this encouraging, or do these leaders view things too graciously?

Our best average score on a single statement indicates that we believe we are “engaging in missions from a globalocal perspective and empower missionaries, clergy and laity in mission” (7.6 out of 10 points). This is encouraging but leaves me with some questions. If we were getting this right, wouldn’t we be a faster growing family of churches both locally and globally? And since we know that new churches are most effective at winning the lost, wouldn’t we be planting churches by the dozens everywhere?

On the matter of our willingness to affirm emerging denominationalism to the extent that we find “ways to create new denominational forms,” we scored 4.2. This is not as encouraging. While we are not open to renegotiating our commitment to the Scriptures and to keeping Jesus at the center, it is imperative that we recognize that forms and partnership agreements are best when reviewed, renewed and joyfully owned by the current family members. Not to do that is to guarantee irrelevance and further fragmentation.

We are aiming at ramping up our personal and corporate responsibility for evangelism and church planting. Are you and your church family making headway in that direction? We are working at communicating and clarifying USMB added value in collaborative ministry partnerships. We are connecting with and inviting our non-partnering churches to help us design new partnership forms and get on board. Are you and your church family tracking with us on this?

We are laying groundwork to address gaps between our printed faith statements and our real lives. Is this a spiritual journey that you have enthusiasm for? Our USMB board and staff believe that moving ahead in these ways will give us a chance at thriving. What do you think?

There is good reason to be very grateful for faithful Mennonite Brethren followers of Jesus all across our nation. We thankfully celebrate the joyful partnership of loyal and supportive local church families among us. In spite of the difficult economy of last year, we received $422,000 in local church support for our unified budget, a four percent reduction compared to last year’s $440,000. This is an encouraging sign, and we are deeply grateful.

We have room to grow in a lot of ways. There are many lives that crave Jesus’ transformation. Are you in?

A more detailed report of how U.S. Mennonite Brethren leaders attending the 2009 Leadership Summit responded to the survey, “Can denominations thrive in the 21st century?” is also posted.

At the annual U.S. Mennonite Brethren (USMB) Leadership Summit, Ed Boschman, USMB executive director, asked those present at the May gathering to complete a survey created by George Bullard, a long time churchman and currently president of The Columbia Partnership, an organization that consults with and resources churches and denominations.

The Leadership Summit includes the lead staff member and board chair from MBMS International and MB Foundation as well as from the denomination’s educational institutions: MB Biblical Seminary, Tabor College and Fresno Pacific University. The chair/moderator of the five U.S. Mennonite Brethren district conferences as well as the district minister participate in the Summit, as do all USMB staff and Leadership Board members.

Bullard says this about the survey: “I invite you to dialogue as denominational leaders from various traditions, and with the leaders in your denomination, about these 20 factors. Rate your denomination on each of these 20 on a scale from one (meaning we do not realize or act on this factor) to 10 (meaning we really get it about this factor and are acting on it.) My thought is that if your total average score among your leaders is not at least 125-135, we need to talk. Feel free to contact me at GBullard@TheColumbiaPartnership.org for dialogue.”

Bullard’s 20 factors follow, along with the average score given that USMB leaders gave this factor. The total average score for each group represented at the Leadership Summit is also given.

Twenty Factors That Empower Denominations to Thrive in the 21st Century

1. They proactively acknowledge and function with the understanding that real denominations serve congregations, and all they do points to enhancing the vitality of congregations. USMB score: 6.5 of 10

2. They understand the old Christendom is fading, and a new Christendom is emerging that will come primarily from the two-thirds world, and directionally from the Southern Hemisphere. USMB score: 3.5 of 10

3. They take a proactive stance concerning the current post-denominational era by seeking to be part of the emerging Christendom. USMB score: 3.8 of 10

4. They affirm emerging denominationalism to the extent they find ways to create new denominational forms. USMB score:  4.2 of 10

5. They are on a clear and compelling spiritual strategic journey that seeks to make a transformational difference in the world. The journey is so powerful that it gives them great reason to work through issues that seek to divide them. USMB score 6.2 of 10

6. They develop clarity around their doctrinal values that focus on core doctrines and do not build walls to define out of fellowship congregations who do not agree with every non-core doctrine espoused. USMB score: 5.5 of 10

7. They discover ways to embrace their racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, gender, and lifestyle diversity in keeping with their core doctrinal values. USMB score: 5.8 of 10

8. They adopt new models for their legal structures that provide stronger protection against legitimate and illegitimate legal action. USMB score: 5.5 of 10

9. They empower congregational multiplication movements that result in a number of new congregations each year equal to three percent or more of the number of congregations already affiliated with their denomination. USMB score: 5.5 of 10

10. They help faithful, effective, and innovative congregations move to the next level of effectiveness in reaching their full kingdom potential. USMB score: 4.8 of 10

11. They adopt and adapt effective models for helping congregations to develop readiness for transition and change, and ultimately transformation. USMB score: 5.3 of 10

12. They figure out a call, preparation, and ordination process that encourages gifted and skilled people to commit their lives to Christian ministry. In this, they value preparation for effective ministry service over formal theological education. USMB score: 5.3 of 10

13. They rediscover the core, highly valued activities of the denominations, and give wings to secondary endeavors such as institutions. USMB score 5.7 of 10

14. They do missions from a globalocal perspective, and empower missionaries, clergy, and laity in missions. USMB score: 7.6 of 10

15. They make peace with the parachurch world, and even become more parachurch in nature themselves. They partner with parachurch organizations to increase effective service to their congregations. USMB score: 5.4 of 10

16. They find ways to conduct the basic services and systems of the denomination in a manner that spends as few resources as possible and still maintains basic services to congregations. They do this by becoming resources brokers and coaches, rather than resource providers and consultants. USMB score: 5.7 of 10

17. They understand multiple funding streams will have to be developed and cultivated to pay for denominational resources and services. They realize it is not likely the offering plate dollars in their affiliated congregations will provide the financial resources needed for future denominational vitality. USMB score: 6.7 of 10

18. They discover how to make their large group gatherings, whether annually or biannually, true family reunions rather than legislative or preaching events. USMB score:  6.6 of 10

19. They realize Protestant denominations who want to engage in Christian unity movements, return to a closer relationship with the Catholic Church, or redefine the place of Christianity in the religious world as a synchronization of the three Abrahamic faiths will no longer exist as viable denominations in 2050. USMB score: 5.6 of 10

20. Their leaders will get it, which means they understand the importance of all these factors, and more that could have been mentioned. USMB score: 6.3 of 10

Breakdown of Total Averages

Total Possible Score = 200

Colleges/Seminary representatives: 98

Ministries/Agencies representatives:  98

District representatives: 115

USMB Staff: 116

USMB Leadership Board: 135

Read Ed Boschman's Aug/Sept "Conference Call" column for his analysis of the U.S. Mennonite Brethren response to Bullard's survey.

Sometimes I get into a reflective and contemplative mode in my personal Bible reading and quiet connection times with God—kind of like listening for that still, small, inaudible voice that people talk about. It’s been like this for as long as I can remember. The Psalms and the Gospels in particular tend to take me there. So I read, contemplate and commune with the Holy Spirit and “listen” with the ear of my soul to what God wants me to “hear.”

It is not entirely unlike interacting with good poetry, something I attribute to being an English major and a high school English teacher for some years. Digging out inferences and emotions and between-the-lines meanings is sometimes more about letting them show up than about running them down.

And so it has been and is with the Scriptures. Once the light goes on and an insight shows up, it’s so right to let it roll around awhile. Thinking it over and then thinking it over again—kind of like chewing the cud except much tastier in my non-bovine view.

It is virtually a seamless transition into prayer. When the insight is encouraging, praise is spontaneous. When the insight is sobering or confronting, expressions of humility and dependence are quite natural. And when it’s rebuke or correction, prayers of confession and repentance flow freely—at least when pride, ego and stubbornness are in check.

“How it applies” is indelibly written into my memory as a great way to transition from times of focused devotion to life application. The well worn model—What does it say? What does it mean? How does it apply?—leads inexorably to the matter of how I will live now that I know what I have learned.

Sometimes my wife, Carol, and I have experienced the same kind of process in home groups. When we engage authentically in small group study of the Bible, it seems to me the process is inevitable. Jesus himself promised that the Holy Spirit would lead us into truth. As we give the Holy Spirit our attention and the freedom to do his thing in and among us, we find ourselves experiencing together in a group setting what I have described above as a personal joy.

So here’s the deal: For this to happen, we need to be willing to slow down. In a an article published in the winter 2009 issue of Leadership magazine, Eugene Peterson takes a shot at pastors by saying strongly that too many of us are in too much of a hurry all the time. I took my hit.

But I wonder if it’s only us pastors. When was the last time you slowed down long enough to listen carefully to God and his Word? To reflect carefully about what you hear him saying, praying both through words and open spiritual ears, and then getting on with that long obedience in the right direction?

One more thing. In the same article, I was alerted to something that I had never put together before. This process of personal devotion and Bible study has been around for centuries. Hundreds of thousands of believers for hundreds of years have engaged in and enjoyed the insights that come from Bible study and prayer. I’ve called it everything from personal devotions to quiet times. Now I’m told it’s had a very fancy name for a very long time. Maybe next time when I tell someone I’m going to have my quiet time, I’ll say I’m going to do my lectio divina. Who knew?

It’s like that with relationships too, and again it goes both ways. The incredibly deep fulfillment of a relationship in which love and trust are rock solid is nothing less than sublime. On the other hand, relational tension, unresolved conflict and brokenness also stir us up. In a slightly different way, spirituality is a parallel reality. The pursuit of some sort of spiritual understanding and transcendence evidences itself in all human beings. That it gets us going is obvious. People evaluate, debate, judge, castigate and all too often do violence in the name of a preferred version of spirituality.

On a more personal level, we live with value convictions that sometimes lead to peace and other times to significant discontent. Relationships within common convictions are a context for peace, but interacting with those with whom we differ often becomes an occasion for tension. But we just can’t not go there, right?

Our awareness of and alertness to beauty has similar power. After an encounter with something amazing that takes our breath away, we are left to wonder: How is it that we are so captivated and taken by this? How can a single look at something have this kind of power? Or alternately, how is it that we are so intuitively repulsed by something ugly? What is in us that takes us there?

Where am I going with this? I’m hoping for two things. I hope you will read Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense by N.T. Wright. It’s like a new version of Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. Although I do not agree with all of Wright’s views, I do recommend the book. Wright suggests that all people “hear” and are impacted by echoes of the melodies of originally designed meaning. Review the above paragraphs and you’ll get the picture.

We are all impacted by our awareness of and experiences with justice, relationships, spirituality and beauty. Our awareness and experience leave huge, lingering questions. Wright clarifies why he believes that Jesus and his message pull it all together and answer all the questions. Wright’s book is a good read for a national spiritual family that has committed to having Jesus in the middle.

The other thing I’m hoping for is that we review how we tell the story of our personal commitment to a relationship with Jesus Christ. My chat with Mike on a recent flight illustrates what I mean.

“So, what do you do?” Mike asked.

I could have said, “I am the executive director of the United States Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches and I wonder if you going to heaven or hell when you die.”

Both statements are true. But saying them would have increased my chances of getting some serious sleeping time on the flight. What I did say was that a long time ago I had decided to put God in the middle of my life, and that I have the privilege of meeting with local church families and their leaders to try to ramp up their positive spiritual impact.

That answer swung the door wide open. We talked about the disconcerting state of affairs in our world. We rambled on about justice, relationships, beauty and truth and even spirituality, including Mike’s take on Jesus. That got us both going.

Now you know where I was going. As followers of Jesus, we continue to tell the same timeless story, but we need to review the way we tell it. Starting with a question about how someone is finding meaning and purpose in their life usually works well: “So what is it that gives you reason to get up and go to work?”

A question about someone’s take on spirituality works like a charm: “Do you think the God-factor is playing a role in our culture (or in your life) these days?”

A little shot at what kind of justice crooked financial fat cats might need to experience will likely get some action these days.

It is in this context that I clearly remember J. B. Toews leaning across the lectern, extending his hand and index finger to provide focus, and already then, as if foreseeing the reality that was closing in on us, expressing the rhetorical question in a German tainted emotional lament: “And ya, where are we going to get our pastors from?”

Why do I remember it so clearly? One reason is that J.B. verbalized the question multiple times. I remember thinking at the time: He really is deeply concerned about this.

Today, when the model and function of pastoral ministry is under significant review, it seems good and right to think about some basic questions. Does Jesus still want pastors in his churches? If he does, what should their priorities be? What should these pastors be doing and how should they be doing it?

A quick review of biblical material suggests that God has ordained a church plan that includes pastors. Ephesians 4 clarifies that the Spirit of Christ apportioned grace to his followers, some of whom he gifted as “pastors and teachers.” The text goes on to clarify that the assignment for these individuals is to equip the church for service and to build up the body of Christ toward maturity.

I Peter 5 adds that pastors and elders are to serve the church humbly. This is clearly reminiscent of the words of Jesus himself who counsels his pastors-in-training to be sure to lead in a model that is different from what the secular world would normally employ. Matthew 20 records Jesus’ teaching that the “lording it over” model needs to be rejected in favor of the “sacrificing servant” model. So it’s clear that God’s plan for his people includes pastors, specifically a certain kind of pastor that function in a certain way with specific priorities.

So having established this, what’s up with the shortage of pastors? It’s a long list of answers by all accounts. It’s a marginal wage adventure. It’s the limited respect given the position. It’s a no-win assignment; opposition is a sure thing. It’s tough on the pastors’ children, and the spouse-of-the-minister role is a glass house impossibility. It’s a leadership assignment without the authority to lead. It’s just too lonely, and on the list goes.

However, the truth is that when God places specific passion and selected spiritual gifts in someone and then quickens an understanding of vocational kingdom opportunity or call, the only question left is the matter of willingness. Once the hand of God is on someone in this way there is much the rest of the church can do to help. Our denomination’s Ministry Quest program is a great next-step option. Check it out at www.mbseminary.edu/ministryquest. And there are pastors and their families who are experiencing joy and fulfillment and kingdom value results, albeit not necessarily every day.

A month ago in my monthly E-NOTE to U.S. Mennonite Brethren pastors I asked them to let me know if they have a specific person or two in mind as their potential successors in pastoral service. Pastor Dave Buller, Topeka, Kan., wrote, “My wife and I are mentoring a couple…I believe (has) the hand of God on their lives. I told him, ‘I think God is calling you to ministry,’ to which he responded, ‘We’ve been wondering, but nobody has ever shoulder tapped us before.’”

Pastor Lowell Stutzman, Grants Pass, Ore., wrote, “I have tapped two young…men whom I believe God is preparing for future service in his kingdom.” Pastor John Effinger, Sioux Falls, SD, wrote, “Eight of us attended an event called Men at the Cross. Its main focus is to get men to disciple other men working one on one…. I haven’t yet found my Timothy, but (your) challenge may help me to narrow it down.”

Although there may be a few other sources, I absolutely believe that our next generation of pastors will come from our own congregations. Do you sense God’s hand on someone you know? How about tapping their shoulder, for the sake of Jesus’ church and yours.

Who are we?

Last year the Leadership Board adopted an identity statement for the U.S. Conference that says: “We are a family of churches committed to living, loving and serving in our troubled world as we share the life-giving message of Jesus.” Our identity clarifies that we have committed to being “in the world but not of the world,” just as Jesus prayed that it would be (John 17). We have chosen to partner with Jesus in his mission to bring life.

The mission statement we adopted last year says that U.S. Mennonite Brethren “partner as one family serving one Lord on one mission, for the transformation of individuals, families and communities.” Our mission statement is loaded with meaning. Christ is the center. We are family because of our common adoption as daughters and sons of God. We are family because such a relationship provides for us the privileges of accountability, collaborative partnerships and mutual support.

And we are "on mission" with Jesus to seek and to save the lost and to make disciples. When Jesus changes a heart and gains a disciple, lives are transformed. The first life changed is the obvious one, and then families and communities are impacted as the good news spreads.

What are our membership realities?

We are a family of about 35,000 members in around 200 churches in five districts. Since 1995 we have added 60 churches and closed eight. Most of our growth has come from the “adoption” of congregations comprised of recent immigrants.

Today, half (109) of our congregations are Anglo, 35 are Slavic, 34 are Hispanic, eight are Ethiopian, six are Korean, six are African-American, three are Japanese, two are Native Indian, two are East Indian and one is Chinese.

The U.S. Conference is divided into five regional conferences. The Pacific District Conference has 120 congregations and includes Arizona, California, Oregon, Utah and Washington. The Central District has 24 congregations and covers the largest geographic area: Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska and North and South Dakota. The Southern District has 38 congregations in Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma. The North Carolina District has six congregations and the Latin American District has nine churches in South Texas.

How does the U.S. Conference add value to Mennonite Brethren congregations?

We provide national leadership, vision development and ministry coordination. We represent the U.S. Conference to the International Community of Mennonite Brethren and other Anabaptist and Christian partners, including Mennonite World Conference, Mennonite Central Committee and National Association of Evangelicals.

Through Mission USA we invest in church planting and/or renewal in each of the five district conferences. We publish a monthly magazine that is made available to every U.S. Mennonite Brethren household.

We partner with MB Foundation to promote effective kingdom stewardship. We collaborate with our educational institutions—MB Biblical Seminary, Fresno Pacific University and Tabor College. Through MBMS International we partner for global mission.

Our annual budget is $903,000.

Only 39 percent of our congregations contribute to the U.S. Conference; they provide about $450,000. The U.S. Conference executive director and Mission USA director raise about $290,000. Our monthly magazine generates $40,000 in advertising income. We appreciate the annual support of MB Foundation in guaranteeing $50,000. Interest earnings, endowments and other sources generate $50,000.

Are we correctly describing our identity and vision? How can we better convey that our denomination has valid grounds for existence? Are we going in the right direction? Does this look and sound good and right to you? Given current economic realities, what should be reviewed or changed?

I’ll say it again: We are one family, serving one Lord together to accomplish his plan for such a time as this. We are blessed, as a national conference, because we know that God’s hand is on us. While I absolutely believe that we exist for good, right and godly reasons, I am all ears to your thoughts. Share your ideas and concerns with me over coffee or an e-mail.

Serving in leadership for a denominational family of churches and people does at times seem an assignment that would be well served by everyone having some being and doing stuff in common. And this is where the temptation to cross the line shows up. When a playing coach calls a series of plays and every team member commits to being their best and doing their part, games can and will be won.

Our approved national game plan—our mission statement—is to demonstrate that: “We are one family, serving one Lord, on one mission for the transformation of individuals, families and communities.” So who does that mean we need to be? And what does that mean we need to do?

As the national executive director, I know cannot presume to tell you who to be and what to do. But I’m about to put my toe right up to the line by suggesting some ways that you as individuals and as local churches can make our national family mission statement come alive.

Be one family. What if we each commit to pray for one another regularly, specifically and passionately? That our nuclear and church families would be healthy and spiritually reproductive? That our shared ministries and educational institutions would experience the blessing and power of God in their kingdom contributions? That honorable Christian stewardship and generosity would flourish among us?

What if we would reject passivity and aloofness and rather choose to care about the fact that we really are a family? That there are teams of servant leaders, staff and many volunteers, striving to provide added value to both the local and the bigger denominational realities?

Serving one Lord. Two things here: What if we adjusted our everyday living in one significant way so that what we say we believe was better connected to how we live? Because we have chosen Jesus as Lord, we need to intentionally give him the right to tell us how to live. This is the year to bite the bullet on a bad habit, on laziness or greed or on prayerlessness.

It is our God who mandates that we should love each other, right? What if we took that critique weapon right out of the minds of our neighbors, classmates and colleagues this year? If that happened, they would need to conclude that Jesus was changing us. We could never pull that off on our own. Doing so would make him our Lord.

On one mission. Let’s make it simple. What if we asked God to give us a real burden for a pre-Christian or family we know. So that what breaks his heart would break ours too. And then what if we absolutely committed to intentionally build a spend-time- with, come-on-over, you-matter-to-me friendship with them? There are, no doubt, church family based outreach and connection options too. But even these will be best served by existing, healthy and caring relationships.

The last part of our mission statement says that it’s all about transformed lives. If we would be and do this, the Spirit of God will do the transforming. He has promised that. This really is one of those times when I’d like to cross that line I talked about. Since I can’t, would you be willing to accept it as an urgent call from an under shepherd? My heart aches and prays for this to happen among U.S. Mennonite Brethren.

What good fortune, I thought that October afternoon, and even providential to be talking with an Indian prior to my November visit to that country. Neilish had slipped in to the smallish seat next to me as we settled into the regional jet for the flight back to Bakersfield from Denver.

It turns out Neilish works for the largest ice cream production unit on the planet, and it’s located right in good old Bakersfield. He wondered if I had eaten any of the latest Dreyers ice cream products, and I was able to nod in to pretty much the full menu. I guess it’s good that he couldn’t tell just by looking at me—at least that’s what he said.

Neilish went on to tell me more about the three P’s. People, poverty and pollution are what you will see, he said. Everywhere! With 1.3 billion people on that piece of the earth’s pie, it seemed reasonable to imagine it. And I did try. We talked about the fact that about one-fifth of the global population lives on a not-so-large piece of land. And about how the big Indian cities are counted by millions and tens of millions. Neilish said he wished conditions were otherwise, both for the sake of his family who still lives there and more generally for his countrymen.

I asked him about the spiritual realities of his people and more particularly about his own. I asked whether he knew much about Jesus. Not really, he said, as only he could turn the words. He was interested enough to hear me out, so I filled him in. Of course he wasn’t going anywhere and we were sitting pretty close together. He offered that it was good that we were learning from each other. I agreed.

What he didn’t know was that my unspoken prayer was that my telling him the Jesus story would stick in his mind like a nagging broken record of truth. It would serve you well to check out the Bible and read the Jesus story for yourself, I suggested. He didn’t jump on it, but you never know.

And now, for the first time in my life, I have been to India. I went to India as part of the annual meeting of the International Community of Mennonite Brethren. I represented the U.S. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, one of 18 national Mennonite Brethren conferences in 15 countries.

Sitting in the airport waiting for my 15-hour flight from Bangkok, Thailand, I could call on most any one of my senses to awaken memories of my week in and around Hyderabad, located more or less in the center of India. Neilish was right of course, and I had not doubted him. But the experience of tasting, hearing, seeing and feeling the realities he described to me has been unbelievably more powerful than I imagined.

One of the things that intrigue me is how our Indian brothers and sisters shake their heads side to side to mean, “Yes, yes, of course, surely, good enough.” I’m going to keep working at that.

I did experience a couple of P’s that Neilish hadn’t alerted me to. We spent the better part of a day with about 1,500 men and women representing some 300,000 Jesus-loving Indian Mennonite Brethren Christians. The occasion was the 50th anniversary celebration of the formation of the Governing Council of the India MB Church.

After 60 years of effective evangelism inspired by a few faithful MB missionaries, there is much more to tell, but know this—they prayed. They prayed loud and long—all together and at once, in small groups and before and after anything and everything. And there were lots of things. For me, a sometimes-lightweight prayer warrior, there was a lesson in this.

I’ll probably remember the three P’s Neilish briefed on but the other two are unforgettable. And they are more important. If you have a “p’s and q’s” list of any kind, it would be smart to check whether it includes the stuff the lasts.

By the time you read this article, our nation will have selected the next president of the United States. No doubt somewhere around half of our citizenry, and perhaps some of you, depending on how you voted, will be feeling like the sky may really be falling down this time. That’s why what Colson says in his February article matters. Colson asserts that we need to be careful not to believe everything we read or hear. He refers to New York Times columnist Frank Rich who wrote an article in the fall suggesting, “Inauguration Day 2009 is at very least Armageddon for the reigning ayatollahs of the American right.” The inference is that the heyday of the Carter/Moral Majority/Christian Coalition era is over.

Colson says Rich and others like him are wrong. Colson suggests that though the evangelical landscape is changing, adjusting and transitioning in various ways, the people who comprise that movement are steady at the helm, “battling for traditional values.”

Colson writes, “We’re defending life, pursuing justice and caring for the poor. Yes, we’re beginning to get more involved in environmental issues, thanks to younger evangelicals reminding us that God commanded us to care for his creation. But we do all of this in God’s name—which is what sets the secular media’s teeth on edge.”

He adds, “It would be a tragedy if, regardless of how evangelicals vote, we allowed the media to define us. What is it that makes us evangelical? Our commitments to orthodox biblical Christianity, spreading the gospel and promoting righteousness in all spheres of life.”

All of this to say, from my perspective, who the president is matters some, but when all is said and done there is another kingdom that matters more. And no matter what people might think or say of us individually or of the lot of us together, we press on for a higher calling.

The apostle Paul had that in view when he reminded the Ephesian Christians that they were “no longer foreigners and aliens but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household” (Eph. 2:19).

More graphically, Paul writes to the Philippians that it is important to differentiate between the core values of citizenries. Some give evidence that “their mind is on earthly things.” Then he lays it out for the followers of Jesus: “But our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:19-20).

Too many of the past months have been pierced by the political process that leads up to an election. There were too few moments to make us proud and countless events that were discouraging. Congratulations to those of you who carefully did your homework and then responsibly cast ballots in spite of the turmoil. No matter how you voted, no doubt you lost some and won some.

You may have a knot in the pit of your emotional stomach about the results of Election Day. And for some, the significant national and global economic and political instability and the declining value of your assets adds to that sick feeling.