What a year! I can't remember a year (and I've had a few!) where the landscape of our world has changed so dramatically. It raises the question David asked a long time ago:
"When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?"
So many things we've been able to count on - "foundations" - have been shaken in recent months. And many believe "we ain't seen nothin' yet!" So "what can the righteous do?" David's answer neutralizes every uncertainty:
"The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord is on His heavenly throne." Psalm 11:3-4
Nothing that really matters has changed - or ever will. Our Mighty God is still totally in charge. And we have the assurance that He uses the times to purify and position His people for His purposes! That's where my heart is - seeking the new thing God wants to do through the challenges and questions of this new season.
The dreaded day comes every April - income tax day - our day of reckoning with Uncle Sam. Many Americans burn the midnight oil, and accountants of course, are at the peak of their crazy season. You know, it is best to get this right, because you never know who is going to be audited, right?
Whether it's a personal audit or a company audit like our ministry has every year, it's nice to know you have nothing to hide. It's the same when the time comes for the Ultimate Auditor to review, not just your finances, but your life.
Nate Saint, better than anyone else I know, may have captured Christmas from heaven's perspective. I've stood on that beach where Nate Saint, Jim Elliott, and the others died at the hands of the Aucas. But today, the men who murdered them are leaders of the Auca Church, and many, including me, were inspired by their example to serve Christ. On the eve of his last Christmas on earth, Nate Saint wrote his perspective on Christmas, and I can't get it out of my mind. I hope you won't either. I believe this is the heart of God about Christmas.
Years ago, God laid the desperate need of Native American young people on our hearts, and ever since we have been involved with some very special summers on reservations with our On Eagles' Wings teams. We have had moments of unforgettable joy - and some moments of pain and sorrow, too. One of the toughest of those moments was the summer when we heard about Johnny's sudden and tragic death. Johnny was a Lakota young man who we had worked with and had really come to love. In the providence of God, our team was headed for Johnny's reservation in South Dakota when we heard about his death. His parents actually delayed the funeral a couple of days so the On Eagles' Wings team could be there. His Mom said that some of the best days of his life had been with our team.
