Spiritual Climate Change is Coming

I read a story recently about tropical plant life found frozen in the ice of Antarctica. This story caught my attention because when one thinks of the frozen tundra down south, we have thoughts of ice flows and penguins, not tropical vegetation, but here was a scientist discussing some tropical plant they had found. Fascinating.

I also considered the Garden of Eden. When I think of the Garden I think of lush vegetation, a rainforest like land of sorts. Have you ever seen the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers? I don't know that I would consider it anything close to that sort of topography.

So when I recently watched a TV show on the cycles of the planets as far back as they can study them, I was fascinated. Turns out that where once great rain forests stood, deserts now lay across the expanse. Where tropical climates once thrived, ice now covers the landscape in thick sheets. I was wrapped into the show, and though I disagreed with some of the political implications of the show and perhaps some "scientific" conclusions they came to, it really got me thinking.

I think sometimes the spiritual condition of our world seems to go this way. We look around our world today and see the Spiritual Climate in some areas rapidly heating up, and yet, in some areas, we perceive rapid cooling.

Looking around the world you see areas of the globe that were once spiritual hot spots. I enjoy reading letters from missionaries who share about distant spiritual wastelands being opened up for Christ. Where once icy or desert expanses ruled, we are now seeing revival fires being lit and the Gospel spreading.

But then consider places also like Europe. Where once the soil was ripe for growth, and produced tremendous crops that spread around the world, we have now seen a hardening of hearts. A cold breeze has blown away the top soils, and we find the work in these fields now to be very challenging and at times it appears fruitless. This in a land where much of our theology came to light.

This week I was taken back to a message that God had for Solomon at the completion of this Temple in Jerusalem.

II Chronicles 7:13-16

"When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there."

Spriritual climate change is not permanent. God, who set into motion the physical changes and cycles of our world, also desires to change our spiritual climate as well. Where he finds hard hearts of ice, it's His desire to set them ablaze for Him. Where deserts rule and vegetation is non-existent, he desires to see fields of flowers stretching up to the Son.

How is this accomplished? If we as His people, will humble ourselves and pray. If we will turn from our ways of sin and seek his face. He says that He will hear us from Heaven, forgive our sins, and heal our land. This last week in Hungary, a place that seems to often be spiritually desolate, I found some flowers. In between rocks and sand, I found delicate vegetation growing for the Lord.

The Lord is really speaking to us lately about humility and prayer. If we're going to the spiritual waste land changed into a thriving tropical spiritual climate, we must be willing to humble ourselves and pray. We must seeks His face and His holiness.

I've recently begun a pray walk through the city ever morning. Will you join me in Spirit? I am passionate about the spiritual revolution that God wants to see here. I am expecting change lives, and a changed country.

This is our goal. Nothing short of this will make the difference that we all long to see. In Hungary the wind is starting to turn, please join our prayers and help us turn a light breeze into a strong wind of revival.

God Bless You,

Jonathan

Life Goes On

One of the realities of living abroad is that like or not, life goes forward. Events occur, both in our lives and the lives of those back home, that are of importance or significance. These times are poignant reminders of the sacrifice we have made to do God's work here in Hungary.

In the three months since we arrived here, we have celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary and Jonathan's 30th birthday (just this past weekend). Our boys have continued to grow and change. Grant is getting more teeth weekly it seems and he has begun to babble incessantly. He crawls now and can even pull himself up to stand. Carter has developed so much as well. We can see it and hear it in his problem solving, his conversations and his observations. (We've add some family videos of these moments under the Links)

And too, many things have happened back at home that we have missed. Corinne's parents moved into a new home. Babies have been born and others are expecting. Our good friends are getting married in just a few weeks. The emails and phone calls and Facebook photos are gentle reminders that you too have experienced so much in our absence. Our hope is that you realize you are greatly missed, but that in a way you are here with us.

Each day we live and work in Hungary is put into motion in part by your sacrifice as well. Your prayers and support are the fuel for our ministry. Part of the reason we write is so you may know what a difference your contribution has made. Sure, we feel a sadness to celebrate without you and quietly wish to partake in your special occasions, but God replaces our losses with new joys. Thank you for sharing your moments with us in whatever way you can. We love to see what you are doing! Would you continue to pray that God would make special moments in ministry for us here?

Going On,

Jonathan, Corinne, Carter & Grant

I Know You Never Said It Would Be Easy...but

I cried this evening. I tried not to, I really did, but alas my emotions, having overflowed the spot deep inside where I traditionally ignore them, came tumbling down my cheeks in the form of warm tears. Truth is I'm a sensitive guy. While at some point I fantasize about being Clint Eastwood, meeting out justice in a cold-masculine way, in reality I'm more Elmer Fudd-like crying over that Daffy Duck I thought I wanted to shoot.

I'm a momma's boy. I love people. I love to help, and often I try to be a part of the solution to people's problems. I'm usually the first to volunteer, and I love to lead. I enjoy making tough decisions, and working on complex issues. I love figuring out the puzzling issues that sometimes pop up. I like to be out front. But sometimes being out front has consequences.

When you're out front your exposed. Like the first guy down the ramp onto Omaha Beach, you don't have something to duck behind. Everyone sees you, and whatever comes your way, you feel it. There's no place to hide at the front. So it is in ministry sometimes.

I came to Hungary to make a difference. So far I think I have in a small way. But I think that what I'm discovering is that when you place yourself in the center of pain, while you lie amidst the suffering of many, you feel it too. I'm not immune to it. I feel it physically gnawing at my insides as if trying to get out.

I may have always said it, but now I know that humans are messy creatures. While we might delude ourselves into believing that we somehow we have things tidied up, in the recesses of our hearts and minds, we find baggage and pain that we haul around. Sometimes are messiness cannot be contained.

English camp just ended and I was amazed at the many stories I heard that boggled the mind. I mean, I knew that these types of issues existed, but not in anyone I know, or thought I knew. One after another many of our students revealed their messiness, they allowed us to peer into the recesses of their hearts and see the scars, the hurts, and tears. Like sitting in the front row of a Gallagher concert, I walked away with emotional watermelon all over me.

I tried to pour some of myself into them, and in a small way, I felt some of their pain pour into me. When you reach out, it's inevitable that when you touch someone, they are indeed touching you. I found a new level of appreciation for Christ, who while expressing the greatest act of love ever recorded took upon himself the weight of the world. I struggled under the weight of the few people I've met.

I didn't take long to be disappointed. I didn't take long to be saddened, and I've discovered that it hasn't taken long to be brought to the point of tears. There's honestly a part of me that wishes that I could disconnect. There is a part inside that wonders how nice it would be to be able to walk away from such situations with a casual stride and leave it behind. How nice it would be to not deal with the sleeplessness, or the gut wrenching conversations. I only let these thoughts linger for a moment.

Truth is, I am exaclty how God made me. At some point God worked all of my innermost parts together and with great purpose put together my heart. Sometimes I can't solve problems, but I can make a difference precisely because I do care, and hopefully they know it. Though it hurts to stand by and watch people make mistakes, my compassion for them drives me to be there to try and pick them up, to try and wipe the tears. I just wish it didn't hurt so much.

I hope, dear reader, that you can appreciate my honesty. I would love to write of only the good things, filling page after page with happy glorious moments of triumph, but alas that world won't exist until the trumpet sounds. My hope is to share with you the true story of a young missionary couple called from a life in the suburbs of Indiana to stand in the gap in Hungary.

Throughout English camp we poured ourselves out onto and into people. In return we felt their stories and walked away carrying some of their struggles. I invite you to continue this journey with us through spirit and prayer. But I must also add this warning, you might just walk away with some emotional melon in your hair. You might just find that at the end of the day you feel it too. You may just find moments where your driven to your knees and crying out for God to move. I profoundly hope that you do.

Living in Front,

Jonathan and Corinne