The Action-Cluster of Life (church bulletin cover)

There are certain behaviours that are meant to go together like action-clusters. Action-clusters are like atoms—separate the components of them to your own peril. Split an atom and there’s trouble. Break up an action-cluster, and your life loses its potency. As I read Jesus’ story of the man who built his house on a rock, I see an action-cluster containing three key activities: pursuing, listening to and obeying Jesus. Jesus said, “I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice.” (Luke 6:47).

I can’t help but think that so often I major on one or even two of those things, and not often enough on all three. I may find myself coming to Jesus and enjoying His presence in times of worship, but not do much listening amidst the familiar songs and my hasty prayers, let alone obey what I would’ve heard if I’d been listening more carefully. Or, I may find myself able to hear Jesus as I cruise through my day too busy to come to Him for a devotional time, but in that busyness, fail to obey whatever I heard Him say! Or, I may be so busy doing things I once heard Jesus asking of me that I’ve switched off listening any longer, and have even stopped coming to Him because of how busy I feel doing what I’m doing for Him!

The variations of all the ways I can smash this action-cluster begin to feel so complicated when Jesus made things so clear in Luke 6:46-49. He simply wants us to come to Him (spend time in His presence), hear His words (be quiet enough to listen), and obey His words (do what I hear God saying). Simple. Come, listen and obey. An action-cluster that represents the building blocks of our spiritual lives. That’s all Jesus asks of those who want their lives to be able to stand up amidst the winds and storms that come our way. And it works, because of course, the One we’re coming to, hearing and obeying is the Lord of the winds and the storms! Who else would we rather turn to?

So as we look to the season ahead of us, let’s not allow ourselves to become so busy with the activities of this world that we’re unable to regularly come to Jesus, hear His words of life and put them into practice!

© 2008 by Ken Peters

Waiting in Aweil

In the 11 days we were in Aweil, Sudan, it was a strange paradox to get so much accomplished in a place where it took so long to accomplish anything. A Ugandan pastor who ministers in Southern Sudan told us that however long things take to do things in Uganda, it takes five times longer to do the same things in South Sudan. It is a war-torn region that is recovering from over 20 years of civil war (1983-2005), or from what the state Governor referred to as “the disaster of the last 20 years.” Yet despite all that, in a whirlwind 11 days we managed to meet with…

• the state Governor
• the state Minister of Education
• the previous state Minister of Education
• the state Minister of Infrastructure (re buildings and land)
• the former Secretary General of Aweil Town
• the Executive Director of the Aweil Town Council
• two pastors of the Episcopal Church in Aweil Town
• the lead pastor of the Sudanese Pentecostal Church in Aweil Town and for the outlying areas
• two Presbyterian church planters in rural Aweil
• a portion of the teaching staff of a public primary school in Aweil Town
• a UN/NGO Taskforce on regional health issues

It had to be God, in answer to the prayers of His people, who ensured that we were able to have so many valuable conversations with so many people. I say this because there were times during our visit when the simplest things took hours to accomplish. For example, one day we planned to drive to a village northwest of Aweil Town to see Aken’s sister as well as to drop off Aken’s brother and Aken’s nephew.      For this to happen, we had arranged to borrow a vehicle from the Ministry of Infrastructure.

All we needed to do was to get the vehicle to come to the place where Aken, Carlos, Aken’s brother, Aken’s nephew and I would be waiting. This is how it all came together…

• At 11:00am, on the day we planned to make this trip, Aken went to get some medicine for his brother and to confirm the vehicle’s availability while Carlos and I went back to the house we were staying at to get what we needed for the trip.
• Having got our stuff, Carlos and I walked back to a tea stand at which we expected Aken to return with the vehicle.
• There we sat around for awhile.
• Eventually we got hungry, so Carlos and I told the people at the tea stand that we were going to a nearby restaurant for lunch.
• After eating, Carlos and I sat and sipped our water for awhile.
• Then after awhile, I pulled out my Bible to read and Carlos slipped on his MP3 player to relax.
• Then Aken came to the restaurant without the car, without the medicine for his brother and unsure where his brother was.
• Aken then sat down to have lunch with a relative of his.
• Carlos then went back to the house to get something.
• Aken, his relative and I remained at the restaurant and sipped our water.
• After awhile, Aken’s relative left.
• Aken and I remained and waited some time longer.
• After some time, the driver of the vehicle appeared and explained that he needed money for gas.
• We gave him money and instructed him to return after purchasing the gas.
• The driver then sat down to eat.
• Then the power went out and the restaurant’s electric fan, which I had strategically placed myself right in front of, stopped spinning.
• Not long after that, Aken and I got up and went back to the tea stand, and as we left, I looked back at the driver still sitting at his table eating and I wondered how we could just leave him there when it took so long to find him!
• After sitting at the tea stand for awhile, I pulled out my sermon notes to review them for Sunday.
• Then, at about 2:30pm, Carlos returned to the tea stand.
• Not too long after that, Aken’s brother appeared and sat down at the tea stand. All we needed now was Aken's nephew and the vehicle.
• But then Aken got up and went to purchase some clothes from the market for his brother.
• While Aken was away, his nephew then arrived at the tea stand. Now all we needed was Aken and the vehicle.
• Then Aken’s nephew went away somewhere. What next? Would Aken's brother be the next to leave so that when the vehicle came, it would be for just Carlos and I?
• Then Aken returned with the clothes.
• And then suddenly, at 3:10, the vehicle arrived with Aken’s nephew.
• But gas had to then be siphoned into the vehicle from two jerry cans.
• We then loaded up the luggage, and at 3:17, we departed for our destination.

Whenever we faced long waits like this, it often seemed like everyone around us knew more about what was going on than Carlos and I understood. We would sometimes try to clarify what was happening, but people seemed to think that we’d be better off if we just trusted them rather than them having to explain things to two confused North Americans. And like I said, the things that were accomplished on this trip seemed to work out in ways far beyond what we could have accomplished by our own understanding anyway!

© 2008 by Ken Peters

Back from Sudan!

I’m back in Winnipeg and extremely glad to be home with my family! Though it was quite a trip, I’ve struggled to find the right words to sum it up. It was certainly an adventure – one that was both challenging and amazing in so many ways. From the start, it felt as though God placed a curtain not more than six inches in front of our faces so that we couldn’t know what was going to happen from one moment to the next. I like to know what to expect. I like to plan for what’s coming. And none of that was possible in Sudan – certainly not in the remote town of Aweil. We arrived in a town bursting with people displaced by the floods in the surrounding area with no one to meet us, no transport arranged, no place to stay, little idea of the cost of such things, and no clear idea what we would do there for 10 full days.

All of that gave God plenty of opportunity to show Himself faithful as we gave up control and just let Him lead. And that resulted in blessing after blessing coming our way as the trip became more and more fruitful. Aken was able to see one person after another who he hadn’t seen in 17-25 years! The joy-filled hugs were wonderful to witness. And as we walked about the town on the day after we arrived, who happened to come and sit at the same tea shop where some happy friends had brought Aken, but the former Minister of Education! So as Aken caught up with loved ones, Carlos and I peppered a very willing interviewee with questions. And later, as we met with the new Minister of Education, it seemed God’s timing as he pulled out fresh notes that he had just taken in the past month after traveling to all the areas surrounding Aweil Town to find out exactly what the current status of all the schools and teachers was! We later saw some of his statistics illustrated during a visit to a local school in which we found as many classes outdoors as indoors and several classes as high as 100+ students – with one class of more than 200 children! We also met with the Minister of Infrastructure (re land and buildings), the Executive Director of the Town Council, the former Secretary General of Aweil and the state Governor. Later we also stumbled into a UN/NGO Taskforce meeting of health issues in the area, which we sat in on as guests.

My personal highlight was how God led us across the path of John Garang, a wonderful pastor who ministers in Aweil. It all began with us first meeting one of his associates, William Deng – a man whose name we’d been given by a pastor in Uganda – a name which represented the only Christian leader we knew of in Aweil. Our conversation with William was just in time since he was leaving on a trip the day after we met, but our time with him was cut short before he could even tell us of any other pastors he works with. Later that afternoon while Aken was out visiting, I let God know about my regret that I’d had so little time with William, as I had so many other questions I’d wanted to ask him. And then, just minutes after expressing this disappointment to Carlos, there was a knock at the door. It was John Garang. William had told him about us and he had sought us out.

John is a former Lost Boy who, in 1986, with many other boys walked all the way across Sudan to Ethiopia to escape the fighting in Aweil. To survive, he joined the SPLA (Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army) for eight years. While a soldier, God sovereignly directed him to go to what turned out to be a church and there he was introduced to Jesus. John felt called to take the Gospel back to Aweil, and that resulted in his long walk back home. In fact, as a volunteer pastor, John walked the distance between Uganda and Aweil 6-7 times – an 800 mile, 3-month journey each time! As a pioneer for the Gospel in Aweil, John experienced significant persecution, including time spent in jail. Presently, he oversees pastors of many congregations while also leading one himself. It was a huge honour not only to meet him, but also to preach in the church he leads as he translated for me.

This summary wouldn’t be complete without many thanks for people praying for us. We felt those prayers as we ended up in what seemed like one divine appointment after another – one sense of perfect timing after another. We would constantly wonder what more we could be in Aweil to accomplish, and suddenly we’d find ourselves in yet another purposeful moment. Thank you for praying.

People’s prayers for our travels were especially appreciated. As we arrived at the airport on August 28 to leave Aweil, we received a cell phone call telling us that no plane would be coming to get us that day. The flight was delayed until the following day. That meant we would miss our connecting flights to Uganda and to Canada! At that moment, there was a UN plane sitting on the airstrip collecting passengers, and they admitted that they had three empty seats on their plane. But because we could not be officially referred to them by an NGO, they couldn’t take us aboard. So as that plane took off, we were left wondering how we would make our way back home. And then suddenly, as if on cue from heaven itself, in walks Vincent, a Canadian who lives about an hour from Aweil Town and whom we’d met the week before. After hearing about our situation, he explained that he had a charter flight coming in that afternoon which would be leaving with no passengers at dawn the next morning. It was an MAF (Missionary Aviation Fellowship) plane that wasn’t scheduled to stop in Juba but which perhaps would be willing to rearrange their schedule for us. In the end, they agreed to have us on board and to make a stop in Juba, and we arrived there just in time to make our flight to Uganda! So to complete a trip on which very little went according to a plan, that is how we made it home to our families as planned!

© 2008 by Ken Peters

We value your prayers

I'd appreciate your prayers for our upcoming trip to Africa. I'm going with two traveling companions, Aken (originally from S. Sudan) and Carlos.

On August 11, we fly to Uganda, and then on August 18, we plan to fly to Juba, Sudan. Then we will catch the first available flight to Aweil, Sudan (see July 21 posting below). We plan to be back in Winnipeg on Saturday, August 30.

Please pray for safety during all our travels, and that no luggage is lost along the way.

And please pray for our time in Uganda to be fruitful. We hope to meet with some specific church leaders there to discuss the possibility of partnering with them in the planting of a school in Aweil of southern Sudan.

Please also pray that God will give us divine appointments in Aweil. In order to properly assess the situation, we will need to meet with local government authorities as well as with church leaders. We will need God’s wisdom to be able to see if, where and how we could plant a school in the Aweil area.

A good deal of the time will also be spent re-connecting with Aken’s relatives, as he has not seen them for about 25 years. It will be quite an emotional reunion, and will likely be quite a celebration! Please pray for grace for Aken regarding any unexpected news he may receive as he gets reacquainted.

We’d also appreciate prayer for our health. Food and water, heat and mosquitoes will all be issues for which we’ll need the Lord’s protection. We don’t want to lose valuable time due to travel-related illness.

And finally, please pray for our families here in Winnipeg. Please pray for them to experience a very real peace while we are away, and for protection from any hassles that could come up.

Thank you for all your prayers! I'll try to update the blog from Africa if I have opportunity! And I'll let you know how it all went once we're back home.

© 2008 by Ken Peters

Movies that bug me

I haven’t seen the latest blockbuster, “The Dark Knight,” but it has nevertheless stirred up in me a familiar agitation regarding a certain belief Hollywood peddles. I’m not thinking of the usual ungodly themes of wanton sex and violence which, of course, are far too easily accepted by far too many as harmless entertainment. No, the thing on my mind, and what often gets my goad, is the difference between a film that acknowledges that we need to be rescued and a film that calls on us to find all that we need “within ourselves.” This latter theme is nothing less than an idolatry of self that is viewed by the general public as simply a harmless self-affirming “You’ve got what it takes!” kind of can-do thinking. Nothing wrong with that, right? But when such films are imbibed in regular doses, even by those who believe in God, I believe they sow to a societal attitude of “Who needs God anyway?” Is that the message we want to get a good feeling from at the movies? And what makes me particularly troubled is that these movies are often aimed directly at our kids, “Kung-Fu Panda” being a recent animated example.

I’ve grit my teeth at so many movies that have majored on this humanistic theme as time after time, main characters were called on to look within themselves to find whatever they needed to save themselves. It’s not that I expect to see prayer meetings and personal devotions appearing in every movie as Hollywood suddenly starts to churn out stories in which people turn to God for the help they need. It’s more that I’ve come to prefer a story that draws from the “We need a Saviour” theme of the Gospel so that people can see that they actually don’t have what it takes, never will, and desperately need to be rescued!

My angst at the steady diet of humanistic drivel fed to countless movie-goers leaves me encouraged even when movies offer imperfect saviours, especially if they are portrayed with self-sacrifice and humility rather than with the same vain humanism of those trying to save themselves. This is what made Neo in “The Matrix” somewhat appealing to me. Certainly imperfect, and initially uncertain about his destiny, he chooses to leave behind all that is familiar and comfortable in his world to then find his capacity to save others through his dependence on others teaching him. Though I never saw the sequels to “The Matrix,” as sex and violence seemed to become more the dominant themes than the original premise of a search for a messiah, I did find in the original a desire in the characters to look beyond themselves for the help they needed and a self-sacrifice in the hero they found.

“The Lord of the Rings” goes even further. It is an example of a movie in which the heroes were not only those whom the world saw as small and easily overlooked, but made regular mention of an overriding Providence that helped them to find their way. And throughout all three films, there are many examples of how the characters saw that they needed others to help them and how characters made great personal sacrifices to offer such aid. Then in the end, the ones who clearly overcame the great evil of Sauron were the humble hobbits who didn’t even know what to do with the notoriety they received when their mission was accomplished.

Even though “The Dark Knight” offers similar fare as good battles to triumph over evil, we know from the previous movie, “Batman Begins,” (which I saw) that it is with more of a nod toward the hero finding what he needs “within himself.” In that initial film, Bruce Wayne finds his wisdom and guidance and inspiration to become the guardian of Gotham City through the inner reflection of an eastern religion that promotes the same self-oriented self-effort that humanism would endorse. I’m as troubled by this overriding theme in “The Dark Knight” as I am by the violence that I understand to be so well choreographed throughout it.

But even with its flaws, “The Dark Knight,” like many other movies, is a distorted copy of the greatest story ever told – the Gospel, in which Jesus laid his life down to take the rap for a sinful race and to save all who put their trust in Him. And the most common distortion that these copies fall prey to is that the heroes typically save others by overcoming enemies by their strength. The original story tells of a Hero who meekly laid down His strength to save others through His death.

There are certainly films out there in which we can find encouragement in the self-sacrifice portrayed by its heroes and by good triumphing over evil. My concern, though, is that we should be as eager to avoid a film that affirms a looking within ourselves for all that we need as we would be to avoid a film full of gratuitous sex or violence.

© 2008 by Ken Peters

Three Very Important Rules

When it comes to overseas travel, there are many things to consider as one plans and packs. And there’s one thing that I know we should all be certain to prepare for, and yet I never cease to find it awkward even to mention. It’s so highly personal, and yet so difficult to suffer in secret when afflicted with it while traveling… I'm speaking of diarrhea. It is common to us all, and yet there are many ways we try to avoid the word when needing to explain the problem: “I’m not responding well to the food” or “I have an upset tummy.” It’s been called Montezuma’s Revenge, the Jamaican Shuffle, Delhi Belly and even the Sudanese Quickstep. And after spending a year in Sudan in my early-20’s (without any special tablets that are commonly available at any pharmacy, but which NOBODY ever told me about even they knew I’d certainly need them), I have learned that there are three Very Important Rules that must be followed when afflicted with… diarrhea. I have personally found that if one ignores these Very Important Rules, one does so to one’s own peril.

Rule #1: Always respond absolutely immediately to the slightest subterranean sensation. In other words, whatever you’re doing, no matter how vitally important it seems or how close it is to being completed, STOP. Stop whatever you’re doing and move to the nearest facility – carefully.

Rule #2: Never assume that it’s safe – unless properly poised in a proper place – to pass what you’d normally expect to be just a little wind. Handle with care.

Rule #3: Always be absolutely certain that you always know exactly where the nearest facility is located, and never stray too many Quicksteps away from it.

It’s also a Reasonably Good Rule to take some special tablets on trips (that I NOW KNOW are commonly available at any pharmacy). But if you’re anything like me, you’ll want to find them yourself rather than having to ask a pharmacist for them by name.

© 2008 by Ken Peters

Two very different worlds 650 miles apart

Many have asked me if the place we're going to in Sudan is near where I was in 1987. The two places are only about 650 miles apart, but are in entirely different geographic regions with completely different cultures. In 1987, I travelled through Khartoum to a small, remote desert village in northern Sudan called Hamrat Al-Wuz. This year, we're travelling via Uganda (south of Sudan) to Juba, the capital of Southern Sudan, in order to catch a flight to the town of Aweil. It is rainy season, and I'm told it is very green there at this time of year.

(See the July 15 posting below for further details.)

© 2008 by Ken Peters

"Excel still more!" (church bulletin cover)

I sometimes need to ask myself, “Have I become satisfied with as far as I’ve come in my walk with the Lord?” Oh, of course I know there’s plenty of room for growth in my life, but am I always eager to achieve that growth? Sometimes I recognize a certain weariness in me that doesn’t want to go further or reach higher or push deeper. I think, “I’m doing pretty good at that.” Or, “I’m doing well enough at that. I can rest now.”

Then along comes the Apostle Paul, that Biblical go-getter, who urges the Thessalonians on a couple of occasions to “excel still more” (1 Thessalonians 4:1, 10). In each case, Paul acknowledges that the Thessalonians are already doing quite well in the areas he urges them to increasingly excel in. This is no rebuke regarding areas in which they were doing poorly. This is a challenge to take it up a notch—to go to the next gear—to do still better at what they’re already doing well at. To paraphrase, Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4:1, “Just as you’re already living in a way that pleases God, excel still more!” And in 1 Thessalonians 4:10, he says, “Just as you’re already loving all the brethren all over Macedonia, excel still more at that!” In other words, let your past encouragements be a launch pad for going even higher with God! Don’t rest on your laurels, content with past exploits, living off the glow of their memory or off the momentum of past acceleration. Go for more! You’ve excelled already, but don’t stop now! Excel still more! That takes energy and effort, which Paul was no stranger to, but God gives us the strength we need to press on.

May we never stop being faithful labourers who, by God’s strength, are willing to “excel still more” at all that God calls us to!

© 2008 by Ken Peters

Back to Sudan (after nearly 21 years)

It’s been over 20 years since I lived in a remote desert village of northern Sudan for a year. It was a life-changing experience that left me with many wonderful memories that have softened the rough edges of the challenges I faced. Sudan was then at war with itself, and though the north and the south are no longer at war, Sudan still seems as unstable now as it was then. So why then – now that I’m a husband and a father – would I plan to go to southern Sudan in this present climate of tension and uncertainty? I suppose another question I could ask is, having been invited to consider going, how serious do the needs need to be in southern Sudan before I'm prepared to leave my safe and affluent environment to go and help?

I and two other people from our church plan to travel to southern Sudan about a month from now, and plan to spend almost two weeks ministering there. One of our threesome is originally from southern Sudan and has not been back for 17 years, and due to the war, has been separated from his family for 25 years. And though he is from a family of 15 siblings, only two of his siblings are still alive today. We plan to travel to his home town where he will most certainly be welcomed back with many tears and great celebration!

While we are there, it is our desire to minister to the local Christians in any way we can. We will spend time in the Word with them and will pray with them, and we hope to be an encouragement to a church that has been through great pain in the past couple decades.

In 2005, a peace agreement ended 21 years of fighting between the north and the south of Sudan. It had been Africa’s longest civil war, devastating the entire region of southern Sudan, and leaving two million people killed, over four million people internally displaced and half a million refugees. Christians experienced significant adversity throughout this war, and yet now is an opportune time for the Church outside of Sudan to help Sudan’s Christians be the light they’re meant to be among their own people.

What else could we possibly do to help? That remains to be seen.

As you can imagine, the task of rebuilding after such a long and terrible war is tremendous. Between one and two million internally displaced persons (IDPs) have already returned to their home towns since the peace agreement was reached and many more are expected to follow. But in the midst of limited resources and opportunities, tensions between the returnees and those who had remained are very real. Many homes and herds have been destroyed, schools and clinics are unable to cope with the numbers, and the cost of food as well as basic building materials is continually rising. This has left many thousands of people living in the bush or in primitive camps around the towns they returned to, with minimal aid or no aid at all to help them. There is an urgent need for clean water supplies, food, housing materials and medical care. And yet humanitarian aid has decreased of late because some aid agencies have moved on after the cessation of armed conflict in southern Sudan.

In addition to such pressing needs, education is neglected. It is estimated that three-quarters of the adults in southern Sudan are illiterate and only about 22% of an estimated 2.2 million school-age children are enrolled in schools. However, a third of these schools are simply wooden benches under a tree and many of the teachers lack proper training or adequate curriculum. We’re asking the Lord to guide and direct us to see how we may be able to partner with a church in Uganda to help with education in the area of southern Sudan we will be visiting. This could include meals and clothes, as well as a classroom and a teacher for children in need.

So why would I go to southern Sudan in the present climate of tension and uncertainty? My concern is that if God’s people were to stay away in such times, how would the people of southern Sudan know the love and light of Christ when they most need it? It’s at such times that I see many secular agencies helping people. So how can I as God’s child – who has my heavenly Father to help me – not be prepared to also help?

That is why I am planning to go to southern Sudan this August. We as a team would appreciate your prayers.

© 2008 by Ken Peters

A Treasure worth Chasing (church bulletin cover)

I still clearly remember him, sitting up there on the highest shelf of a store display, so that I had to crane my young neck back to stare in awe at his hulking form. I couldn’t reach him with my hands, but my imagination knew no such limitations as I imagined him free from his stifling box and sitting on the top shelf of my bedroom dresser. Tyrannosaurus Rex: The fiercest and most terrifying creature that has ever walked the earth. This snap-together model had been brilliantly created to inspire the same dread that the living beasts must have roused in their prey of ages past. He was so tall, that I had to measure if there was room for him between my shelf and my ceiling. And his moving jaws were filled with glow-in-the-dark teeth. I would gaze up at the box and imagine myself lying in bed, staring at his rows of fearsome teeth glowing in the night. I wanted this prize. I would save every penny until it was mine. And there came a day when he was. I saved and saved my dimes and quarters until I had the twenty-something dollars that he cost – and then – I took him home: a prize worthy of the price I had paid!

Children understand the excitement of a prize. Their eyes light up more easily at the thought of something new and wonderful than do the more road-weary eyes of grown-ups around them. And yet I’m sure we can all think of one thing or another that has captured our imagination and that we just had to have.

Many such things are gifts from God that He’s pleased we enjoy. But in the midst of enjoying such blessings, it is vital that the things of this earth not become our treasure. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:34). God wants to be the treasure we are most passionate about pursuing, and so we must regularly check our hearts to be sure that our relationship with God is still the greatest treasure we chase. Are we so enthralled with the Gospel that we are willing to spend whatever it takes to get it off a shelf and into our lives? It’s difficult in this culture of iPods and HDTVs and all-inclusive holidays, but all those things are pale in comparison to knowing the living God. Jesus is a King worthy of immeasurable awe, and the Gospel is a message of endless wonder. May we experience increased revelation of that this summer so that Jesus remains a treasure that outshines anything else we enjoy!

© 2008 by Ken Peters