You may notice a name change in the title of this blog. We now officially start our transition to a new future God has called us to.

Today we announced to the church that we believe the Spirit of God is leading us to join the Kingdom of God in Fort Portal, Uganda.

We had an overwhelming number of the church shed tears and express that they were praying that God would not be leading us away from Federal Way. It is encouraging to hear statements like:

“We wanted you to baptize all of our kids.”

“We are not happy that God is leading you away but are excited about the journey God is taking you on.”

“You have been extremely important to my boys. Who knows where one of them would be if it wasn’t for you.”

“I am not happy that God is leading you away but something inside me knew that you were going.”

“I was praying against you leaving, but we are still praying for you and we are so glad that we have a year left.”

“I knew you were going!”

Like I wrote earlier, these are just a small representation of the conversations we had with our church family. I look forward to what God will continue to do at Federal Way, and…..

I look forward to the day when we get on an airplane to fly to our new home and begin loving and serving the Ugandan people the way God loves ALL his people.

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

Romans 8.26-27

My western mindset has been struggling over the past months with a conversation we had while in Uganda. We were sitting in the church tent talking with the missionaries and some of the Ft. Portal Church leaders. The foundation of the discussion was based on community. The conversation itself centered on decision making. In our western world the result or the final answer is the most important. Maybe it goes something like this:

We sit in meetings (business and church leadership) or if we are trying to answer something for ourselves we think in our heads. We have something to discuss that needs attention or most likely needs a decision made so someone or something can move forward. Our focus is solely centered on the decision itself. You say, “Of course it is. You are meeting to discuss something and find a solution.” We sit and talk, sit and talk, sit and talk. Then either by the result of meeting or thinking in our head, we have an “aha!” or due to being tired of meeting we make a decision. The meeting is over. We move “forward” in whatever direction it has been decided. Successful meeting? “Yes.” We did what we were supposed to do. We decided the answer. We kept to what our culture values–progress, decision making, the end result.

Now what if you were in the same circumstance and nothing was decided. You met and conversed but nothing was decided. We, as westerners, would walk away from that type of meeting and be utterly and completely frustrated. “Nothing was decided!” “What a waste of time!” might be phrases said to each other outside the meeting. Chances are no one would want to come back and “meet again”.

But what if the values that drive our meetings weren’t progress, decision making or the end result? What if the values that drove our meetings were relationships, community and humanity? How would those values change the way we came together and met?

Let’s go back to the conversation we were having in Uganda. The missionaries and Ugandan leaders were talking about how “meetings” were done. People show up to the meeting “when they get there”. (Remember the beginning of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, when Gandalf the Grey is riding in his cart and Frodo jumps in. Frodo proceeds to tell Gandalf that he is late. Gandalf responds to Frodo by saying a wizard arrives precisely when he means too.) That is kinda the idea here. The meeting begins when the people get there. (See previous post about time.) The conversation commences and everyone sits and listens to everyone. By the end of the conversation nothing may have been decided on, there were no action plans made, BUT the conversation “feels” complete. Everyone goes home believing what needed to be accomplished was. And what was that? The values of the Ugandan people were reinforced–Community and Relationships.

When have our meetings valued people more than the bottom line? When have our conversations valued the voices of the people more than the decisions that are made?

Welcome to a culture that is not like ours. Welcome to Uganda! I think they may be on to something.

P.S. Decisions are made. I am told they take a lot longer.

Playing at the Air Field

There is a Hasidic tale that goes like this:

“A disciple asks the rebbe, ‘Why does Torah tell us to “place these words upon our hearts”? Why does it not tell us to place these holy words in our hearts?’ The rebbe answers, “It is because as we are, our hearts are closed, and we cannot place the holy words in our hearts. So we place them on top of our hearts. And there they stay until, one day, the hearts breaks and the words fall in.”

This is an interesting Hasidic tale. At the initial reading of it, I find myself relating to the questioner (the disciple). Often times in a disciples life we want to rush the Words of Life into our hearts (even when we are not ready to handle or understand the truth). We have a developed zealousness that never seems to be patient and wait upon the Lord. We strive to understand all. And in understanding all (as we tend to think more highly of ourselves than we ought), we believe we need to teach all. And in teaching all, we develop strategies of discipleship for others when in all actuality we struggle to be discipled ourselves. The prestige of being a teacher/rabbi, one who is sought for advice and answers, can overwhelm the fragile words that sit upon our heart waiting for that moment when our heart finally breaks and the words sink in.

Discipleship is not for the faint of heart or those seeking prestige or money or fame or… Discipleship is long, slow and arduous. It is painful many of the times. It hurts when the heart breaks and the Words of Life sink in. It takes time learning to follow the heart and footsteps of Jesus.

I found this never more true then in Uganda. I was told, some time back, by someone who has been a missionary in Uganda, that if a missionary could disciple just 5 people, he/she would have made a world of difference. 5!

As I ventured into Uganda, I found that discipleship is extremely tough. When centuries and millennia have passed and evil (greed, abuse, witchcraft, demon possession) has been so incorporated into the culture, trying to follow Jesus let alone teach others to follow Jesus is truly counter-cultural. The steps of faith are taken with care and discernment. They are not taken lightly. Each step of a disciple echos throughout the past and into the future and resonates the song of life–the song of God. All the while, the centuries of evil try to regain each step that was lost. And many times succeed because people are unwilling to give themselves over completely to God. They harbor deceit or greed or lust for power/authority/influence.

Discipleship…not for the faint of heart in Uganda. Not for those people seeking instant success or money. Discipleship requires the Words of Life to sink in only when the heart breaks. And that takes time, patience and the Spirit of God.

Jeff, Cheryl, Andrew, Aimee Jo, Doug, Destiny, Charity, Isaac, Clea and all those who are (or have been) missionaries in Uganda keep taking each step of faith and keep on the long road of discipling. You efforts are not in vain (even when they seem like it). The Spirit of God is making a difference through you. Never forget that!

Husbands driving (Jeff, Andrew, Matt) – “This is really cool!”
Wives in the passenger seats (Cheryl, Aimee Jo, Julie) – “BACKUP! BACKUP!”

Needless to say we went forward. Have fun enjoying the pictures.

What happened next was Jeff (in the front) proceeded to move forward once the elephant moved on and as soon as he moved forward a bit, a baby elephant darts across the road.

Good times were had and memories we made.

We also saw 8 lions, antelope, water buck, hippos and cape buffalo. It was a blast.

“The giving of God that populates our past and the reliability of God that marks our future makes life in the present different.”

- Walter Brueggemann

We stand at the foot of the mountains-the Rwenzori Mountains to be exact. Our past journeys have been full of companions that have walked with us and us with them. We hear the echos of the faith of those that our journey has intersected. Echos that whisper ever so softly into our ears and hearts words of love. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind…love your neighbor as yourself.” Words of mercy and compassion. “What does God require of you: but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” Words of questing and adventure. “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…” And words of life. “In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”

We stand at the base of the mountains and we know these voices will always be with us. The panoramic view before us is breathtaking and inspiring but also daunting and unknown. Do we step forward into a land and into a people whose culture we know very little about?

What we have experienced has deconstructed most everything we have learned in our western (American, modern, industrialized, church, etc.) culture. We have encountered a culture which does not have a moral foundation. BUT, they hold respect as a cultural must. They value peace/harmony above conflict. They value community above individuality. The last one (in my estimate) being the most important. Everything is done in and for the sake of the community, whether that be your immediate family or your tribe. Individuality is not valued. Coming from a culture which idolizes our individuality (even in our theology), this has been an eye opening experience. Let me give you an example. When we are sick in our western culture, what happens? Most likely we will stay home. We do not want anybody to visit us, we just want to be alone and let our bodies work through the illness. In the Ugandan culture (particularly the Batooro culture), when someone is sick, it is expected for people to drop by and visit. If a person does not then he/she is seen as not valuing the community or friendship. If the sick person refuses the visit then they are seen as not valuing the community or friendship. So when someone is sick, expect visitors to drop by and express their concern and love for you. Quite the opposite to what I am accustomed too.

Another example would be the concept of time. In our western culture, we value being on time to appointments and meetings. I can’t count the many conversations I have been a part of discussing how people do not value something because they do not seem to show up “on time”.

Time is money…

Time is precious…

Time is important…

We have our days scheduled (over scheduled most of the time). We get frustrated driving on I-5 because the traffic will make us late for whatever. (I know because I have done it many times.) Our lives revolve around time.

Here in Uganda, time is not valued. The event is valued over time. Two Sundays ago, “church” is supposed to start at 10 AM. We started at 11 AM because that is when most everyone showed up. So instead of ending at noon, we ended about 1:30 PM. Now to a westerner, how ANNOYING would this be? Extremely! But let us challenge the priority of time. Say we started the worship service at 10 AM like we were supposed to. We would have been worshipping with ourselves. What does that communicate? Time is more important than people. Is that really the message of Jesus? One might even ask some of the Ugandans where they were and why they were not “on time”. Their response may be that they were greeting someone on the road. Again, in a culture that values community, do you berate the Ugandan for not being committed or question their devotion to God because they are late? I think the Apostle Paul would say something along the lines of “BY NO MEANS!” The Ugandan was acting appropriately in the culture–he/she was valuing the community by greeting the person on the road.

But let us not deceive ourselves. Uganda is not a bastion of holiness. The evil in the culture is so real, you can almost reach your hand out and touch it. Witchcraft is rampant. Deceit is valued. Selfishness is cherished. Greed runs rampant. The list could go on.

Let me tell you a story. A few days back a Ugandan man was doing something (nobody knows quite sure what) on Lake Saaka. For those that have been here, that is the lake that almost completely surrounds Camp Saaka (where Faith Quest is held). He drowned. His body wasn’t found for 3 days. Here is where the story gets intriguing. Lake Saaka and the land where Camp Saaka is is said to be the place where the Bachwezi spirits are supposed to live. Tradition says that the people would sacrifice a life each year to please the spirits or the spirits would take a life. The death was perceived that the spirits took the life of this man (who is rumored to an excellent swimmer) for this year. As you can see, the deception of the Deceiver is strong. He has had a strangle hold on the culture for many centuries. This is a land that calls evil a trusted friend.

The view from the base of the mountains is breathtaking and inspiring but also daunting and unknown. We stand at the base looking up, not because of the terrain but because we know only God can lead us in the direction of the future–a future that may possibly mean new companions. Our present is different because of our past (including our limited experience in Uganda) and future. We view things differently. So we stand at the base, in the present, waiting…

]]> http://tibbs12.wordpress.com/2009/07/07/the-journey-into-uganda/feed/ 3 tibbs12 rwenzoris http://tibbs12.wordpress.com/2008/12/11/back-from-sabbatical/ http://tibbs12.wordpress.com/2008/12/11/back-from-sabbatical/#comments Thu, 11 Dec 2008 08:02:11 +0000 Matt Tibbles http://tibbs12.wordpress.com/?p=82 ]]>

As many of you know I have been on sabbatical for the last 9 weeks. It has been good to relax, rest and spend most of the time in prayer. Here is a copy of my sabbatical reflection paper. I hope you enjoy it and would love to hear your comments.

“The news is that God’s wind is blowing.
It may be a breeze that cools and comforts.
It may be a gust that summons you to notice.
It may be a storm that blows you where you have never been before. . .

Whatever the wind is in your life,
pay attention to it. . .
and the blessing of God,
Father, Son, and Spirit,
will abide with you always.”
- Walter Brueggemann

The Springtimes in Oklahoma are some of my fondest memories growing up. They always brought the birthing of life amidst the drab and colorless death of winter. The many hues of green would burst forth from inside the branches of trees and shrubs. Then would come the blues of Spring skies. Finally the reds, oranges and purples would erupt to produce a carpet of flowers to enjoy and savor.

As all of this is occurring, the wind would blow. It would lose its biting cold of winter and embrace the warmth of the sun. Sometimes it would gently caress and kiss my face as I would enjoy being outdoors. Other times it would blow so intensely houses and lives would be uprooted in tornados. One could always count on the wind.

I could always see the evidence of wind. Whether the trees were gently swaying back and forth or birds were being forced to fly in a direction they did not want, the wind was there. On occasion my family would experience the wind together as each of us would fly kites and embraced that unseen movement.

From the effort to get the kite caught in the wind, to enjoying the flying of the kite, flying kites has always been a favorite activity of mine. There is something mystical about a string, a kite and some wind. I have always been amazed that the kite does absolutely no work, it just listens to the call of the wind. The wind is what whispers elevation and distance into the kite. As the kite listens, it begins to move to the sound of the voice of the wind. And the string, it keeps the kite connected to the ground, occasionally giving direction. As simple as that explanation is, the experience of flying a kite can be spiritual.

As I have spent the last few weeks in sabbatical, I have come to appreciate kite flying as a metaphor for journeying with God (in prayer). Prayer has become so much more to me than I could have ever imagined. When I use the word prayer, I am not talking about the action of prayer, I am using prayer as who I am–my being or essence. Let me go back to the kite metaphor to help explain this.

If I were to describe a kite, I might look in the dictionary and find the definition, which would go something like this:

A toy consisting of a light frame with thin material stretched over it,
flown in the wind at the end of a long string.

This definition describes a kite but is missing something. So I might try to further describe a kite as colorful, birdlike or any other image that is beautifully portrayed on the fabric.

Again both of these definitions help me to visualize the image and mechanics of a kite but both are lacking in the essence of a kite. What is a kite? [Reflect on that before you read on.]

A kite is simply a vehicle that opens itself up to the whisperings and movements of the wind as it loses itself in the wind. When we talk about what a kite is, a kite becomes less about the description of the framework, material, color or how one flies a kite, and takes on a deeper meaning.

That brings me back to prayer, we use phrases like “I need to pray” or “Let us pray” or “I will pray for you”. We use prayer as an action, a verb. And that is prayer but prayer is so much more than just an action that we do occasionally during the day. Tilden Edwards writes,

“Authentic prayer is opening to God’s gracious presence with all that we are, with what Scripture summarizes as our whole heart, soul, and mind (Matt. 22.37). Therefore prayer is more a way of being than an isolated act of doing.” (emphasis added is mine)

Imagine a kite as it opens itself to the presence of the wind. It struggles the first few feet to let go of it’s stationary stature and once free begins to rise and become one with the wind. The more the kite embraces the wind, the higher elevation is spoken into the kite. It is not so much the kite telling the wind what to do or talking to the wind, the sole essence of the kite is listening to the movements and whispers of the wind.

This is what prayer has transformed into during my sabbatical. It has continued to become who I am. When I was younger, prayer was always a one-way communication. It was always an action of speaking my desires and wishes to a man behind a curtain who was there to grant my every wish. So I would talk and talk and talk presenting my desires and wishes (not all of them were from a selfish motive), expecting the great Oz to answer them.

As spiritual formation began to happen, prayer has become less a verb and more my essence. As I am opening myself up to God’s presence and whispers, sometimes HE will speak. These times are truly spiritual. But seem very few and far between. I can count on one hand how many times God has revealed himself to me this way.

The more the Spirit continues to transform, prayer becomes more about being with God. It is not necessarily concerned with the many requests or even the fascination of hearing a word from the Lord, these can be important in different times of my life, but prayer is about being with God.

Picture the kite again. Imagine the kite is way up in the sky and the string is pulled taut, almost on the verge of breaking. Everything in the kite is yearning to be set free in the wind. The kite is desiring to be lost in the wind.

This is the best way I can even begin to describe prayer as being with God. We become lost in all that is God. An unknown author once wrote,

“He is your being and in him, you are what you are, not only because he is the cause and being of all that exists, but because he is your cause and the deep center of your being.”

The very things that we have striven our lives to identify ourselves as, no longer take importance in our lives and we are content with losing ourselves in God. This is prayer that is being not something that you do.

“Anything we do with our bodies is a form of prayer when our central intent is opening to God’s presence through it.” [Living in the Presence pg. 17]

When prayer becomes our being, everything we do becomes a part of prayer–driving to work, playing with kids, speaking to friends and strangers, breathing, etc. Because prayer has become who we are (opening of ourselves and losing ourselves in God), our lives are transformed into prayer.

I am learning that surrendering everything to God is essential in this. During this sabbatical, God has constantly been bringing before my heart areas I have not surrendered to him. Some of these areas I have not been able to surrender to him until now, others I have fought long and hard for many years to keep from surrendering to him (and possibly will continue to fight him in surrendering). This surrendering is part of the opening process. I must be willing to allow God to possess everything that I am–my essence. I must truly be lost in him, so there is no distinguishing between me and him. I think of Jesus on the Mount of Olives. He speaks these words to God, “If you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done. . .In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.” Even Jesus struggled surrendering everything to God, but in the end Jesus was willing to surrender and be lost in the being of God. He was willing to lose everything that distinguished himself a part from God, in this case his desires, in order to be open to God. Much like the unknown author is writing about. But the author would caution with the following:

“. . .he is your being but you are not his.”

I do not go as far to say that I become God. Let me return to the kite metaphor. When the kite breaks free from the string and becomes lost in the wind, the kite becomes caught up in the being of the wind. But the kite will never be the wind.

This has not been easy. I have not enjoyed the days upon days God has brought forth things that I need to surrender to him. In some cases a constant bombardment of how much I have not lost myself in God. I wish these times on no one and everyone. Because it is in going through these times that we learn to open ourselves up to God and in the opening of ourselves to him, we become lost in him. Our lives become prayer. Our being becomes lost in the being of God. Paul would write, “in him we live and move and have our being”. When this happens, prayer becomes who we are not something we do.

God’s wind is blowing. So, I continue to struggle in opening myself up to God and surrendering to him in what some might describe as seeking without seeking, so that I might be with God.

Man vs. Wild is one of my favorite TV shows. For those of you who do not watch the show, it is about survival. Bear Grylls goes all over the world showing us how to survive in all kinds of situations and climates. Most of the time he is helicoptered into marshes, snow covered mountain peaks or a savannsh in Africa somewhere and he has to survive until he comes into contact with civilization somewhere. So he goes on these epic adventures all over the world. He has walked the savannas of Africa and come within yards of wild lions and elephants. He has walked the frozen tundra of Siberia. He has scaled mountains and walked through the bad lands of South Dakota. He has jumped of waterfalls and swam in frozen lakes. He has eaten…well…just about everything from snakes to grubs. He has drank…use your imagination when there is no water around.

Each week he goes on a different adventure. I love to watch them. Is it real? Some is and some is not. But none the less he out in the world going on adventures. I love that! And you can tell he loves it–just by the way he speaks while on the adventures. It is pretty amazing to see the joy he has while on the adventures. He is even teaching his children to love adventures.

I think I love this show because deep down inside of me, I love to go on adventures. To be a part of something…to get caught up in the story of an adventure, now that excites me.

St. Brendan would write. . .

Shall I abandon, O King of Mysteries, the soft comforts of home? Shall I turn my back on my native land, and my face towards the sea? Shall I put myself wholly at the mercy of God, without silver, without horse, without fame and honour? Shall I throw myself wholly on the King of kings, without sword and shield, without food and drink, without a bed to lie on? Shall I say farewell to my beautiful land, placing myself under Christ’s yoke? Shall I pour out my heart to him, confessing my manifold sins and begging forgiveness, tears streaming down my cheeks? Shall I leave the prints of my knees on the sandy beach, a record of my final prayer in my native land? Shall I then suffer every kind of wound the sea can inflict? Shall I take my tiny coracle across the wide, sparkling ocean? O King of Glorious Heaven, shall I go of my own choice upon the sea? O Christ will you help me on the wild waves?

I believe these are the questions of someone who desires to be on an adventure with God. The answer the adventurer gives in his heart is a whole heartedly YES! “It is important that life is lived with a sense of partaking in something bigger than ourselves.” (David Adam)

Adventures with God give us the awareness of “something bigger than ourselves”. Adventures speak straight to our heart. They are sirens that sing the songs of God and his story. And we get to partake of them with God.

Let us hear the call to come forth out of our boring, controlled lives and live in the uncertain wild that adventuring with God brings. Let us leave the land of safety. . .and explore waters of trust. Let us leave the ground of familiarity. . .and enter into the waters of mystery. Let us embark on the great adventure with God.

Shall I. . .YES!

I found my life in something David Adam wrote. It goes like this. . .

Come on pilgrimage.
Let us walk together the road of life.
We will go on well trodden paths,
and also open us new ways.
We will seek,
we will search,
we will rejoice,and perhaps we will sing.

You cannot come as an onlooker,
that leaves you on the outside,
yet still influence us,
as we influence you.
Come and share your experiences,
your sorrows and your joys.
If your prayer has gone dead,
your God is too small,
your vision too narrow,
Come journey into new depths,
let life be an adventure.

Come and participate,
come and discover -
We will go to strange places,
we may even meet dragons.
But we do not journey alone
we go together along the road
and our God goes with us

Anybody up for a journey together?

I saw this the other day on YouTube.

Maybe this is hype, I don’t know. I only hope they will act on this when one of them becomes president. Pope John Paul II once said, “Social justice cannot be attained by violence. Violence kills what it intends to create.” Maybe just maybe we will try to stop fighting each other and decide to live with each other.

Today, I didn’t do a good job teaching at Church.

Today, I didn’t help call people to a greater purpose.

Today, I didn’t lead others into a deeper relationship with God.

Today, I was able to wake my daughter up and show her how much I love.

Today, I was able to tell my wife I love her.

Today, I was able to serve the women at church and drive then home from their retreat.

Today, well that is what happened today.