In God's Garden

I can't grow things. Really, plants come to my house to die. I think I've even managed to kill a succulent - the type of plant that people buy when they can't keep a plant alive. I've certainly never planted a seed and watched it produce fruit of any kind. (Except that one year when my grandpa let me help plant his garden, but let's be real. He did all the work.)

My sister, on the other hand, practically had a jungle growing out of a soda bottle once. Then my mom tried to repot it. (See? I come by my plant-killing ability honestly anyway.)

Do you think it's dead?

Every time I try to keep a plant alive, I think about my past failures. I compare it to my sister's successes. I look at my poor succulent and wonder if it's worth it to keep trying. The one that I've watered and kept near the window for sunlight. The one that I turned away from the sun thinking maybe it was leaning over because the sun was on that side, and turning it around would make it grow the other way. I really don't know what I did wrong this time.

I tend to do the same thing in my walk with God.

I look at the fruit everyone around me is producing. I see the number of people they are leading. I hear them talk about how the people they mentor are growing. Then I compare it to my own life. I look at my failures. I see all the times I've messed up. I hear all the unanswered prayers echoing around in my head.

And I wonder what I'm doing wrong.

A few weeks ago, I was reading the parable of the sower in Matthew 13. In that story, Jesus tells about a farmer who sowed his seeds. The seeds landed on all different kinds of ground, and as a result, each seed had a different harvest. Normally, the seed and harvest from the good soil stands out to me. After all, who doesn't want a multiplied harvest? But this time, it was the seed that landed among the thorns that caught my attention.

Jesus explained, "As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the Word, but the cares of the world and deceitfulness of riches choke the Word, and it proves unfruitful" (verse 22).

In the past, I have pretty much always equated "cares of the world" and "deceitfulness of riches." Or I've read about the cares of the world and thought about doing well in school or making sure all the errands are run or caring too much about the latest news. I've thought it meant worrying about what's going on in your relationships. It could mean stressing over a bad day.

This time, I realized that the cares of this world could be more. It could look like measuring someone else's fruit. It could sound like questioning how deep their roots go. Just because something sounds spiritual doesn't mean it's of God.

It's a slightly odd way to look at it, but I thought of a seed that's planted. If it had a mind of its own, the seed could focus on what's around it - dark, cold dirt; the strong, deep roots of the other plants - it's not going to grow. Those things are never going to bring it out of it's protective shell so it can begin to grow. Or the seed could focus on what is above it - the sunlight that helps produce it's food, the water that refreshes it.

More flowers that I didn't plant (in Monet's Garden)... But they remind
me of how beautifully things turn out when God works.

It is the same for us. If we see all the bad situations around us or if we focus on how well everyone else is doing, we'll stay trapped. We'll try to protect ourselves. But we don't need to stay protected. We need the Son of God. We need the Living Water. If we focus on Him, we begin to reach for Him. Instead of being choked by the cares of this world, our roots go deep into His Love and we grow into something beautiful and unique.

So, I still might not be able to rescue that succulent in my kitchen. But when it comes to my spiritual fruit, I'm ready to let it grow. I'm ready to focus my attention on the One who can make it grow instead of on all the people around me. And if we all focus on Him together, we'll have one amazing harvest in season.

Join the conversation: How have you allowed the cares of this world to choke your fruit? How do you remember to keep your focus on Jesus instead of others?

In the Field: A Gift of Teaching

She goes to work. She goes to church. She shops with her friends at the mall. She lives her life the same way she would in her Missouri hometown. But now she lives near 21.3 million other people - quite the change from her small-town life at home.

Carolyn Summers is a missionary in the Philippines and lives just outside the capital city of Manila, a city that according to World Population Review has 111,002 people living in every square mile.

Carolyn is a missionary teacher at Faith Academy. They start school early so they can avoid the majority of rush hour traffic caused by those 21.3 million residents. Otherwise, their students could be spending six hours in the car instead of three.

About 500 students attend Faith Academy, and Carolyn teaches roughly 65 of them. Many of her students are missionary kids (MKs) or pastors' kids (PKs). Some of them live with their parents throughout the Philippines; some of them board at the school. All of them need Jesus.

Carolyn with some of her students

"The biggest difference [between teaching at Faith Academy and a US public school] is the fact that education is important, but first and foremost, they have a relationship with Christ, or at least we want them to," Carolyn said of her role. "Yes, I teach them, but I also spend a lot of time just talking to my students. How's this going? I know you were reading about this in the Bible. What's up with that?"

While Carolyn was a university student in the US, she met a couple who worked with Faith Academy. When they found out she was studying to get a teaching degree, they encouraged her to consider going to the Philippines. She met with her mentor and told her, "I can't stop thinking about this. It's driving me insane." Her mentor asked if she had prayed about it, and she realized she hadn't yet. After a few weeks of prayer, Carolyn told God she would go.

At the time, she planned to graduate from college, spend time raising support, and leave as soon as possible. But things don't always go as planned. It took a few extra years, a second round of graduate school , and some much-needed time with family, but Carolyn was able to be in the Philippines for the 2016-2017 school year.

Carolyn's students in her classroom

During the last school year, Carolyn taught pre-calculus, Advanced Placement Calculus AB, and Advanced Placement Calculus BC to students at Faith Academy. Next year, she will also be teaching AP Statistics.

She also helped with the JV boys volleyball team. "I am not very good at sports, so most of my time was spent chasing balls," she said. "The thing about volleyball is I know the game enough, and I know the proper form that should be had. I can't do it, but I can show you how to do it. Outside of that, I was really just there to help organize and make sure things happened."

Teachers talk about the "aha" moments students have - the moments when a topic finally clicks with a student, when the teacher knows they've got it. And Carolyn said she has some of her own "aha" moments this year.

One time after school, one of her students had come into her room to give her some help. They ended up talking about his experience as an MK. When his life as an MK first started, his father was in a limited-access country. Because of that, the student was not able to tell his friends what his father did. If he did, his father could get kicked out or be killed. Carolyn said that this student was made at God because he couldn't share who he or his father was. Now that he is at Faith Academy, he is able to share that he is a missionary's child, even if he can't share all the details, and it has changed his relationship with God.

Carolyn with more Faith Academy students

Carolyn says moments like that are some of her favorites from her time in the Philippines. She enjoys getting to talk to her students about life. Because many of them are seniors, she has been able to talk to them about transitioning to the next stage of their lives and how to maintain a relationship with God through that time.

"It's just those moments where I can learn things about a student that impact me personally, but also what I do and how I do something," Carolyn said. "It's kind of worldview changing."

Many people in the Philippines consider themselves Christians, but that isn't always true. "In the Philippines, you have to be really careful about how you talk about God," Carolyn said. "Essentially you have to ask them if they know Jesus."

Even though her job puts her in contact with mostly Christians - co-workers, students, and their parents - Carolyn does have the opportunity to share Christ with those who don't know Him. "It happens more naturally than you think it would happen," she said. "I run into someone at the mall who knows someone, and we start talking. All of a sudden, we're talking about Jesus."

Carolyn is back in the United States until early July. She is getting to spend valuable time catching up with family and friends while support raising. But she is still working. She's leading a Bible study with some of her students via Facebook. She traveled to Texas for a week to refresh herself on teaching AP Statistics. She will be heading back to the Philippines in early July and plans to stay there until God calls her somewhere else.

Prayer requests from Carolyn:

• For her students to seek God
• For support raising

If you would like to learn more about what Carolyn is doing, you can contact me or visit her blog. Or if you would like to join her support team, you can visit give.teachbeyond.org/support/carolyn-summers/.

*All photos provided courtesy of Carolyn Summers.

Call to Prayer: For Your Enemies

"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." - Matthew 5:44

Borough Market, where one of the attacks in London took place

A little over a week ago, a terrorist attack occurred in London. I know it's not the only attack to happen recently or the worst. But it hit close to home for me, because well, London was home for 12 weeks and because I still have friends there.

I've heard or read several comments since then, coming from US citizens, about keeping Muslims out of the country. They say if Europe didn't let so many in, there wouldn't be attacks happening there so often. They say if we start letting refugees in, we'll have the same problems. Since 9/11, Muslims have been labeled the enemy in my country and by many of our allies.

I emphasized the word "labeled" above, because I don't believe any person of any faith, or any other category for that matter, is my enemy. (Unless we're talking sports. Then a Cubs fan or Jayhawks fan will always be my enemy, but only regarding sports.) And if you're a Christian - and I assume many of you reading this are - you should agree with me.

The Bible says that we do not battle against flesh and blood. We are fighting the SPIRITUAL forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Do you know why Jesus said to pray for your enemies? I'm sure there is more to it than I understand, but a big part of it is because you can't pray without loving. No matter how much you dislike someone, when you start to pray for them, you start to love them. You start to see them the way God does. You start to understand that they need Him too.

The people flying planes into buildings, the people driving vehicles into crowds, the people killing themselves just so they can kill others for believing differently. They all have the same enemy I do. They are fighting someone who wants to destroy their soul and steal their eternity with God.

And they are losing because they believe a lie. A lie that they've been taught their whole lives. A lie that has just enough of the truth to make it seem real. A lie that they're willing to give their lives for;

when they do that, that's when they no longer have a chance to believe the truth. That's when the real enemy wins.

St. Paul's Cathedral is called "the people's church." During World War II,
it was considered a symbol of hope. It is still used for regular church services.

Christians, the enemy has already lost the battle for us. We know the Savior. We've received Him. We get to spend eternity with Him. Even if the enemy manages to kill us, he's still lost. And if we can show the truth of God's love to one of our "enemies," he loses again.

So yes, pray for Manchester. Pray for London. Pray for every person affected by acts of terrorism. They need God. They need His peace. They need His joy. They need His hope. They need His Love. But don't forget to also pray for those who persecute you. Because they need God too. They need His Love. They need His truth. They need Him.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." - Ephesians 6:12

Call to Prayer: Over and Over and Over Again

I ran. I jumped. I skipped. I shouted. I was celebrating. My parents had taken my little sister to another doctor's appointment earlier that day, and now that I was out of school for the day, they were sharing the news with me. She only had to get one shot every day! God was answering our prayers to heal her from diabetes.

Fast forward 13 years. She has continued to receive four or more shots a day almost every day since then.

I still believe God can heal her. I still believe He promised to do so. But in the years since she was diagnosed, I've spent very few of them praying. In fact, by the time I started college, I had all but quit praying for my sister's healing. Not because I didn't think she would be, but because it was a far-off "eventually-this-will-happen" kind of faith. She had learned to live with diabetes and so had I.

When a problem arises, it's easy to ask God to fix it. When a problem stays, it gets harder to ask. We lose faith. Or think it's a lack of faith to ask over and over and over again. If God heard us the first time, He'll answer when He wants to right?

But praying every day is exactly what we're supposed to do. It allows us to show God, and ourselves, that even though He didn't act yesterday, we still think He will today. It encourages us to keep expecting.

In Luke 18, Jesus told the story of a widow facing injustice. Every day she went before the judge and pleaded her case. Every day, the judge refused her request. But she continued. Eventually, the judge was so annoyed that he gave in. After telling the story, Jesus said, "And will not God give justice to His elect, who cry to Him day and night?" God wants us to continue bringing those requests to Him even when they seem unanswered.

When I challenged myself to pray for at least half an hour every day this month, I knew God wanted me to pray for my sister's healing every day during that. It's been hard. Some days, it's not at the forefront of my mind, and I forget about it. Most days, I just don't want to have to ask AGAIN. I want God to answer that prayer, well, 13 years ago.

But by asking even when I'm tired of asking, I'm learning that trusting God means not giving up on Him. It means asking for the change again today, even when the answer has been no for so long. Today might be the day that the miracle happens. But if I don't ask, the answer will definitely be no.

Join the conversation: What dreams and promises do you need to start praying for again? What will help you trust God enough to start asking again?

"Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened." - Matthew 7:7-8 (NLT)

Call to Prayer

"Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As He finished, one of His disciples came to Him and said, 'Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples'." - Luke 11:1

Prayer. It's so simple, yet it's probably the hardest part of the Christian life. At least for me. It's easy to say a quick thank you or make a small request throughout the day. But I still struggle to set aside a place and time each day to really enter into God's presence.

To be completely honest, I actually dread it.

Don't get me wrong. I appreciate that I have the ability to talk to God anytime, anywhere. I like knowing that He wants me to talk to Him and that He'll speak to me. That is why those random moments throughout the day are so easy for me. But something in me resists going in my room, ignoring every distraction, and just praying.

A few times in the last two weeks or so, I've pushed past that resistance. Now that I have, I finally understand why it's so hard for me to do regularly.

I don't think I'm good at it. And I hate doing things I'm not good at.

I've read the Bible verses. I've read the stories of biblical heroes and other great men and women of God who prayed. I've seen prayer work in my own life and in the lives of others. I've seen my prayers answered. I've read multiple Christian books about prayer. I've even written and led small group lessons about prayer. Somehow, I still manage to feel like I don't have a clue what I'm doing when I try to have my own prayer time.

I don't think I'm the only one. (At least I hope I'm not alone in this.)

Today, I have started a journey. I challenge you to join me. I am asking God to teach me to pray. I'm making the commitment to set time aside specifically for prayer -- a minimum of half an hour every day in May. I have two main goals for this. The first is to finally form a habit of daily prayer time. The second is to really understand persistence in prayer.

Are you taking the challenge? What commitment are you making for this month? What do you hope to learn or understand better by the end of this challenge?

My prayer wall where I keep reminders of people, promises, dreams, and
ministries I want to pray for

In the Field: Compelling Christianity

The lights go out. In the front, only the strands of blue and white Christmas lights remain lit. The band begins to play a mix of contemporary songs and classic hymns. Students spread out to give themselves space to kneel or raise their hands. The band has asked to lead a worship night for service this week, the first Thursday after Easter.

At the back of the room, Amber Farhat has been manning a table since the band ended practice an hour ago, available for anyone who wanted to buy a t-shirt or water bottle. But now she steps away from the table. She worships, and she waits. Then a student approaches. She places her hands on the girl's shoulders and begins to pray.  As she prays, you can see the joy and love she has for this student in her smile. She's still praying as the music ends.

It is quite the change from when Amber first started working with Chi Alpha at Saint Louis University (SLU) in 2013. First of all, she made it to campus, unlike the first time she tried to attend service and her car stalled on the highway exit ramp. Secondly, she knows which building to go to. When she first came to SLU, she was told to go into the building with the flags around it and she would find them. What she didn't know until she got there was that SLU has two buildings with flags on top of them -- right next to each other. But more importantly, she has a relationship with the students.

"I honestly was afraid to even talk to people sometimes," Amber says of her first semester on campus. "I just remember sitting down with people and afterward walking away from the night and thinking they will probably not come back because they were too weirded out by me and Chi Alpha in general."

Amber was a student in Mizzou Chi Alpha when she was called into missions. At a regional conference, she heard a missionary speak about the need in Wales, so after graduation she went. "I never thought that this is what I'd be doing; I never thought that I'd be a missionary," Amber said. "But multiple times as a student God told me He wanted me to go to Wales to work there with a church planter, and I finally decided to listen. So I spent a year doing that. I always just felt like the next thing was going to be coming back and working with Chi Alpha."

As the end of her one-year term in Wales neared, her Chi Alpha pastors helped her connect with Matt and Tracy Herman. She met with the Hermans three days after returning to the United States and decided to volunteer with them as they pioneered SLU Chi Alpha. The following school year, she stepped onto staff as a campus missionary associate. She is now in her fourth year on campus.

Group photo from Chi Alpha's first fall retreat, 2014
Photo courtesy of Amber Farhat

When SLU Chi Alpha was first starting in 2013, students would tell the pastor they had been looking for a similar group on campus for three years and not found one. Saint Louis University is a traditionally Jesuit school. Catholic mass is held in each dorm. Students are required to take a theology course. Still, Amber says it is "shockingly secular." In talking about the challenges of ministering on the campus she said, "When more than two-thirds of your campus, and closer to three-fourths of your campus has some sort of Christian background, you would think that faith would play a lot more important of a role in people's lives. And it just doesn't."

To help students make their faith a part of their every day lives, Amber and the Hermans meet with them for one on ones. During these meetings, they are "able to have deep, serious, one-on-one conversations, where you're authentic," Amber said. "You can be accountable to each other, where Jesus and faith are talked about in depth and people are really challenged to consider what does their faith actually mean."

Amber with members of her 2015-2016 community group
Photo courtesy of Amber Farhat

 Amber meets with students in her community group and leaders of the other girls' groups. Those leaders, in turn, meet with members of their own community groups. She refers to it as their discipleship model and says she was prepared for it by what she learned during her time as a student in Mizzou Chi Alpha.

"There was a sermon that we listed to, a podcast, where the pastor said, 'You have to live a life in pursuit of Jesus that's so compelling that people want to live it alongside of you'," she recalls. "That was what I always saw demonstrated as a student in Chi Alpha. That's what I learned how to do in Chi Alpha, and that's what I want to be for the students in the Chi Alpha I work with."

Last year, she told one young woman that she saw the potential for her to be on the discipleship team if she was more connected. "Over the last year, I've watched her really take hold of that," Amber said. "She's very evangelistic. It's really important to her to share her faith, and she wants to do it in a relational way, not just street evangelism." So this year, the student joined another campus group that was started so people could talk about spiritual topics. She met with one of the other members to discuss prayer and ended up telling her what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus. "This girl's not even technically on our discipleship team," Amber said. "She's just someone who I think has grown leaps and bounds in terms of wanting to really lead." Next year, that student will be on the discipleship team.

Discipleship team for the 2016-2017 school year
Photo courtesy of Amber Farhat

"One of the things we talk about fairly often is that our goal is not to create a church, like a campus church, but rather to build a system where people are equipped and can be sent out," Amber says about the purpose of Chi Alpha at SLU. "We don't want to have the best Christian experience happening for our students on campus, and then they graduate and all they can do is think about how much they love their Chi Alpha. Rather, we want them to go off and feel like they're in a place where they can join a church and serve."

Amber with girls from the class of 2017,
at the end of their junior year
Photo courtesy of Amber Farhat

And this year, they'll be sending out nine. Because this is SLU Chi Alpha's fourth year on campus, this will be the first year students graduate who joined the ministry as freshman. Of the nine graduating, seven of them have been involved all four years of school. "We did get, I think, some of the best freshman you can get when you're pioneering on a campus," Amber said. "They'll be missed. They've done a good job, and I would say we could not be where we're at if we did not have them as part of our group."

Four years ago, SLU Chi Alpha started with fewer than 20 students. Next year, there will 25 people on the discipleship team alone. Because nine people are graduating, only eight of the 25 have led a community group before. "It definitely is going to have a feeling of starting fresh to it," Amber said. "As much as I will miss the seniors, I know it's going to be great."

 Prayer requests from Amber:

• Fundraising for herself. Amber's goal is to move closer to campus so she can be full time, and how much support she raises will determine how involved she can be.
• Fundraising for next year's new staff member
• The transition into next school year

If you would like to learn more about Amber's work or support her, you can email me at nicoleejones14@gmail.com or email her directly at adfarhat45@gmail.com.

Group photo from Chi Alpha's most recent retreat, spring 2017
Photo courtesy of Amber Farhat

In Christ Alone

Picture a perfect world. No children dying of starvation. No war. No sickness. No death (not even of your beloved pets). No crime. Everyone sharing. The most beautiful, clear skies, beaches, rivers and streams you've even seen because there is no pollution.

Now let's make it a little more personal. Picture your life exactly as you want it. Your heart has never been broken. You have your dream home and your dream job. You're married, if you want to be. Any children you might have never get into trouble or talk back to you.

Sounds pretty great, right? Here's the catch.

Jesus isn't in it. 

Still sound great? Do you still want that life?

Hopefully, your answer is no. I think for most Christians, it's easy to say that it wouldn't really be a perfect world without our Savior. It's easy to say that we can't live without Him. But what if we took that further?

If all you had was Jesus, would that be enough? Personally, I have a harder time saying yes to that than I do saying no to the first question. And that challenges me.

If everything I ever wanted doesn't satisfy without Christ, then it should be clear that He is all I need. But for some reason, I still find myself looking for more. I find myself looking for fulfillment in my job or my relationships or my accomplishments. I even find myself telling God I need those things or that I need something different in them.

Until my focus is on Him. When my eyes are on Him - not on what I don't have - I find that my life is much more fulfilling. I see how He's using me in my job and not just where I'm lacking. I feel the love of the friends and family He has given me and don't just think of how many of them live far away. I remember that in God's eyes, obedience to Him is the greatest accomplishment I could ever achieve.

The same can be true for you. When our focus is on God, He suddenly becomes bigger than anything we think we're lacking, and He fills the space we think is empty. We learn that if we have Him, we have everything we need.

Join the conversation: What things do you find yourself looking to for fulfillment? What can you do to bring your focus back to God when you start to try to fill your life or your heart with other things?