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| Richard F. Speece Pastor Ryan Wagoner Director of Student Ministries Bob Moore Director of Music |
A Word from the Pastor
Calvary Baptist
Church
Church
Bradenton, Florida
who are on assignment as God's reps here in Bradenton (and don't need to learn a new
language, thank heaven!). One of the principles is phrased this way in my notes:
"Self-sufficiency and independence rob us of opportunities to build relationships with
others. By making ourselves vulnerable and depending upon others we open the doors to
building relationships."
When Jesus sent out his twelve disciples on that first assignment two-by-two to proclaim
the kingdom was near he told them to "take nothing for the journey...no staff, no bag, no
bread, no money, no extra clothes" (Luke 9:3). He forced them to depend upon the people
to whom they were sent.
He knew that identifying with local people by staying in their homes and eating their food
was the most effective way to communicate that the disciples were not superior to those to
whom they had been sent.
We too, when we force ourselves to do what doesn't come naturally and depend upon
others, will find that we have opened the doors to building relationships. So the next time
you need something around the house or in the garage, go and ask the neighbors you have
been having difficulty getting to know and see if they can help you. Even if they can't,
chances are you will have opened the door to making a friend. And when someone
becomes your friend, who knows how the Lord might use it. (Don't neglect to tell me
about how your efforts fared).
language, thank heaven!). One of the principles is phrased this way in my notes:
"Self-sufficiency and independence rob us of opportunities to build relationships with
others. By making ourselves vulnerable and depending upon others we open the doors to
building relationships."
When Jesus sent out his twelve disciples on that first assignment two-by-two to proclaim
the kingdom was near he told them to "take nothing for the journey...no staff, no bag, no
bread, no money, no extra clothes" (Luke 9:3). He forced them to depend upon the people
to whom they were sent.
He knew that identifying with local people by staying in their homes and eating their food
was the most effective way to communicate that the disciples were not superior to those to
whom they had been sent.
We too, when we force ourselves to do what doesn't come naturally and depend upon
others, will find that we have opened the doors to building relationships. So the next time
you need something around the house or in the garage, go and ask the neighbors you have
been having difficulty getting to know and see if they can help you. Even if they can't,
chances are you will have opened the door to making a friend. And when someone
becomes your friend, who knows how the Lord might use it. (Don't neglect to tell me
about how your efforts fared).
In the summer of 1992 Marilyn and I were in northern
Georgia for five weeks teaching language acquisition at a
missionary candidate school. It was our job not only to assess
the capacity the candidates exhibited for learning a totally new
language but also to make them aware of the range of
techniques and tools available to help them in the process of
language learning. Beyond all that, however, we also wanted
to o arm them with some simple yet powerful principles
which would help them in the task of building relationships
with people when they got to their assignment.
Actually, those principles apply just as readily to those of us
Georgia for five weeks teaching language acquisition at a
missionary candidate school. It was our job not only to assess
the capacity the candidates exhibited for learning a totally new
language but also to make them aware of the range of
techniques and tools available to help them in the process of
language learning. Beyond all that, however, we also wanted
to o arm them with some simple yet powerful principles
which would help them in the task of building relationships
with people when they got to their assignment.
Actually, those principles apply just as readily to those of us
A number of years ago I was traveling by boat with the Petterson family from New
Zealand. We were headed to the government outpost of Baimuru in the swamp-
ridden Gulf Province of Papua New Guinea in order to catch a plane. We arrived
at our destination about 1 PM and carried our baggage up the steep, slippery river
bank and then over to the airstrip. Not a breath of breeze was stirring. The heat
was sweltering; the humidity 100%. Sweat dripped freely from my nose and chin.
Everyone was getting mighty thirsty, but in the swamp drinkable water is
scarce.
There was a market facing the neat row of government offices, so we strolled over
to see if someone might have some oranges to sell. No oranges were to be had,
but a woman was selling long, thin slices of watermelon for 20 toea each. I
purchased six slices, one for myself and one for each member of the Petterson
family.
Now I am a watermelon lover and polished off my piece in record time. After
disposing of the rind I noticed four-year-old Jonathan Petterson was struggling to
eat his piece. The long thin slice had broken in half so that he now held a piece in
each hand----hands populated by short pudgy fingers. He was having trouble
holding onto the piece he was trying to press into his mouth to get his next bite.
As I watched, it almost slipped out of his hand and into the dirt. So I offered, “Hey,
Jono, let me hold the other piece for you so you can use two hands. You’re about
to lose it in the dirt.”
Four-year-old Jonathan Petterson took one look up at me, the fastest watermelon
eater he had ever laid eyes on, and then he simply turned right around and faced
the other way. No way was he going to trust me to hold any of his watermelon for
him. I chuckled to myself and continued to watch.
Jonathan finally managed to get through his first half-slice one-handed and
without dropping it. He then started on the piece in his other hand. All of a
sudden he swung back around toward me and held out the rind of the piece he
had just finished. Then with both hands he firmly grasped the remaining piece
and brought it up to his mouth.
In that moment it was as though the Lord said to me, “Rick, that is how my people
often treat me. They won’t trust me with anything of real value which they
possess. They are afraid that if they relinquish control to me, I am somehow going
to deprive them of what they could have enjoyed. Nothing could be father from
the truth. I only want my people to get more out of life, but in order to do so they
must trust me with what they have.”
As I pondered what happened that day I asked myself, “Did Jonathan finally decide
to trust me?” No, not at all. He was handing me that for which he had no more
use. He was handing me his garbage. He was using my service only as it made
things convenient for him. I had offered the same service earlier, but Jonathan
was not willing to trust me with something valuable. When he handed me the rind
he was not trusting me. He was just using me.
You know, all too often we treat the Lord the same way. We are not really willing
to entrust him with our valuables, the most precious of which is our time. I’m going
to ask you to put some of your time in the Lord’s hands this week of missions
conference and attend all the meetings both in the main sanctuary and in homes
in order to find out what the Lord would have to say to you in 2006.
Zealand. We were headed to the government outpost of Baimuru in the swamp-
ridden Gulf Province of Papua New Guinea in order to catch a plane. We arrived
at our destination about 1 PM and carried our baggage up the steep, slippery river
bank and then over to the airstrip. Not a breath of breeze was stirring. The heat
was sweltering; the humidity 100%. Sweat dripped freely from my nose and chin.
Everyone was getting mighty thirsty, but in the swamp drinkable water is
scarce.
There was a market facing the neat row of government offices, so we strolled over
to see if someone might have some oranges to sell. No oranges were to be had,
but a woman was selling long, thin slices of watermelon for 20 toea each. I
purchased six slices, one for myself and one for each member of the Petterson
family.
Now I am a watermelon lover and polished off my piece in record time. After
disposing of the rind I noticed four-year-old Jonathan Petterson was struggling to
eat his piece. The long thin slice had broken in half so that he now held a piece in
each hand----hands populated by short pudgy fingers. He was having trouble
holding onto the piece he was trying to press into his mouth to get his next bite.
As I watched, it almost slipped out of his hand and into the dirt. So I offered, “Hey,
Jono, let me hold the other piece for you so you can use two hands. You’re about
to lose it in the dirt.”
Four-year-old Jonathan Petterson took one look up at me, the fastest watermelon
eater he had ever laid eyes on, and then he simply turned right around and faced
the other way. No way was he going to trust me to hold any of his watermelon for
him. I chuckled to myself and continued to watch.
Jonathan finally managed to get through his first half-slice one-handed and
without dropping it. He then started on the piece in his other hand. All of a
sudden he swung back around toward me and held out the rind of the piece he
had just finished. Then with both hands he firmly grasped the remaining piece
and brought it up to his mouth.
In that moment it was as though the Lord said to me, “Rick, that is how my people
often treat me. They won’t trust me with anything of real value which they
possess. They are afraid that if they relinquish control to me, I am somehow going
to deprive them of what they could have enjoyed. Nothing could be father from
the truth. I only want my people to get more out of life, but in order to do so they
must trust me with what they have.”
As I pondered what happened that day I asked myself, “Did Jonathan finally decide
to trust me?” No, not at all. He was handing me that for which he had no more
use. He was handing me his garbage. He was using my service only as it made
things convenient for him. I had offered the same service earlier, but Jonathan
was not willing to trust me with something valuable. When he handed me the rind
he was not trusting me. He was just using me.
You know, all too often we treat the Lord the same way. We are not really willing
to entrust him with our valuables, the most precious of which is our time. I’m going
to ask you to put some of your time in the Lord’s hands this week of missions
conference and attend all the meetings both in the main sanctuary and in homes
in order to find out what the Lord would have to say to you in 2006.
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| Lesson from a Watermelon Rind |