This weekend, the staff, elders and key lay leaders of SCPC are gathering for a weekend retreat. We will stay in a comfortable hotel, gather for meetings in cool air conditioned rooms, have cookies and coffee to keep us focused and eat some good meals together. I love retreats because they allow us to get away and focus on our calling as leaders. To study the Scriptures, to pray and to grow as disciples. But I am aware that it is somewhat of a sacrifice.
The attendees have to pay their own way. On top of that there are always time commitments to rearrange. Soccer games, little league games, birthday parties. Yard work to do, errands to run. Most of us have pretty full lives and need all the weekend time we can get.
Sometimes I fantasize about living in a simpler place. I think then I'd have less pulls on my life and it would be easier to be dedicated to Christ, to take retreats, to study and pray and gather with Christians. I wouldn't have to sacrifice so much. I think.
While in Malawi I heard Louise Laubscher of Fishers, Trainers, Senders tell of how they do retreats for their ministry leaders. These are people who gather 10-12 weekends a year to lead outreach events in local villages. They all work full time and travel up to six hours from around the country to lead the outreach events. They sleep in tents, cook their food over open fires and do it all on donated funds since none of them can afford even the simple camp food.
You'd think that when they do a retreat, that it would be a nice comfortable weekend away someplace, like at Lake Malawi. But they can't afford that and they want more time to study and pray so what they do is usually gather for 1-2 weeks camping in someone's yard. They go off to work each day and then during the evenings they study the bible and pray. They buy food in bulk, bring plenty of fire wood to cook food or give heat and they stay together.
One time they gathered in Louise's yard. Since it had a wall and a simple wooden gate, they could have some privacy in the city for thier "retreat". Near the end of the two weeks, one of her leaders came to her and said that they couldn't cook any more food. They had run out of fire wood. Louise was concerned because she felt that there was so much more they needed to learn, so much more training this young team needed on this retreat. She asked the young leader what he felt they should do.
"We don't have any wood, but you do have a gate to your yard," he said matter of factly. Louise nodded. They tore down and burnt her gate, cooked the food and continued their study together. She said it without fanfare, it's just the kind of sacrifice that leaders make.
One of the reasons why we need to be involved in places like Malawi is to be partners with people who are so dedicated to Christ that they redefine for us what sacrifice looks like. The FTS ministry is run by a group of people who live at subsistence level and then give all they can for the sake of the gospel. I am proud that they will be one of our partners in Y-Malawi.
We leaders here in America can learn a lot from their leadership.
(If anyone would like to learn more about FTS or how to support them in their upcoming outreaches, please email me. They don't have a website but I can get you in touch with Louise.)
"Sometimes I fantasize about living in a simpler place. I think then I'd have less pulls on my life and it would be easier to be dedicated to Christ, to take retreats, to study and pray and gather with Christians. I wouldn't have to sacrifice so much. I think."
It's true that our surroundings affect us. However, I think the cause of our hectic life comes more from our attitude than from the place where we live in.
It may be as simple as to saying "no" to the expectations of the "normal" way of living in this Western society. Why do we "have to" have a big house? Or two cars? Or cable? Or...?
If we consciously try to live a simpler life, and focus our energy in spending time with our family and being active Christians, we won't feel the urgent need of meeting the high standard of living from the Western society.
If Jesus came to our doors for a visit, would we have time to be with him? "Oh, wait, I have to take my son to hockey," "Cold you come a little later, please, I need to work a few extra hours today," "Sure come in, we can watch CSI together..."
I've been on a stress leave for some time now. But just before taking it officially, I tried to simplify my life: I stopped working after 8 hours (no matter what I was doing), turned off the computer and DIDN'T turn on the TV.
Suddenly, I had all this time with my family. My wife, who had been suffering of mild post partum depression, felt much better after a couple of weeks. My little baby became even more important in my life. God talked to me more clearly through the books I was reading.
We spent time together walking, shopping, playing, reading... It was, literally, as if we were dating again. We created our little oasis in the middle of the city chaos.
It is possible to live a simpler life. Do we want to, though?
Posted by: Josue | Friday, April 15, 2005 at 10:09 AM