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Article by Tim Challies:

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Dumb as Sheep

It was quite a while ago now that a little article on an obscure web site caught my eye. It was one I had to file away. For some reason, that now escapes my mind, I found myself at the web site of The Peninsula, which describes itself as “Qatar’s Leading English Daily.” I hadn’t been there before and I haven’t been there since, except to read this little article.

The title is, “400 sheep fall off cliff in Turkey.” Perhaps it was just a slow day for news, or perhaps something about the story tickled the fancy of an editor. Or maybe sheep are critical to the economy of Qatar so this is big news. Who knows. But for some reason the publication decided to provide a small snippet about something that had happened in Istanbul. Here is the complete text of the article:

ISTANBUL: Hundreds of sheep followed their leader off a cliff in eastern Turkey, plunging to their deaths this week while shepherds looked on in dismay. Four hundred sheep fell 15 metres to their deaths in a ravine in Van province near Iran but broke the fall of another 1,100 animals who survived, newspaper reports said yesterday. Shepherds from Ikizler village neglected the flock while eating breakfast, leaving the sheep to roam free, the Radikal daily said. The loss to local farmers was estimated at $74,000.

I laughed as I read the story. We have all heard of lemmings and their renowned but apparently mythological plunges into the sea. As I child, and especially as a teenager, I was often exhorted not to be a lemming. “If your friends all jumped off of a cliff, would you?,” my parents or teachers would ask. At times I did (and I’m still sorry, Mr. Weirsma, honest). But lemmings don’t really plunge into the sea in suicidal droves. That legend was created and supported by a Walt Disney movie filmed in 1958. Even lemmings are too intelligent to kill themselves en masse.

Sheep don’t commit suicide, or not knowingly at any rate. They don’t deal with despair by leaping to their deaths. The problem with sheep is that they are dumb. Really dumb. Far more dumb than lemmings. They are committed to a leader, and so committed that they will follow this leader even at the cost of their safety. When the leader wanders off a cliff, so do the rest of the sheep. This is both sad and slightly comical (unless you’re the guy who decided to have a hearty breakfast while he should have been keeping his eye on that $74,000 flock of sheep). And in this little article we see this kind of leader. He led his entire flock over a cliff. When he fell to his death he was quickly followed by hundreds and then thousands of the flock. They were soon piled so deep that the ones at the bottom were crushed and the ones on top were able to survive, their fall cushioned by the mass of bodies below. After a while it must have been like jumping onto a giant pile of wool.

Can’t you picture the shepherds, their eyes bulging as sheep after sheep disappears in the distance, careening off the edge of the cliff? Can’t you see them running towards the flock, yelling, shouting, drying desperately to distract the sheep from following their leader? Can’t you picture their shame as they look at the mass of writhing, broken bodies, and then look back at their breakfast, now forgotten?

This isn’t really the fault of the sheep is it? It was the fault of the shepherds who had neglected their flock in order to indulge in a meal. They knew their sheep and they knew that sheep are not intelligent creatures. While these men filled their stomachs, they neglected their sheep and hundreds of them were killed, falling to their deaths in a mad, blind rush off the edge of a cliff. It brings to mind Matthew 9:36 where we read that Jesus, going from town to town and village to village looked at the people and “had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” A sheep without a shepherd is helpless and pathetic. It is pitiable. I know a pastor who moved to the countryside and bought himself a small flock of sheep. He later told me that he learned as much about being a pastor from owning sheep as he had from all the books he had ever read on pastoral theology.

This story could almost be a parable, couldn’t it? I can almost picture Jesus standing on the side of a hill in Galilee sharing this story with his disciples as they sat before him. “A man had a flock of sheep and entrusted them to shepherds. The shepherds, growing weary, allowed the sheep to wander as they ate their meal…”

I sometimes wonder if God allows things like this to happen just to provide us with something to chew on, to mull over in our minds. I thought of concluding this article with some exhortations or applications, but I don’t think I even need to. I will say only this: Jesus calls us sheep. Reading a story like this, I am not so sure that he means this as a compliment. But he also calls us his sheep, and I know that he means this as a tremendous encouragement, for he is the good shepherd, the one who never faints or grows weary or ignores his flock to fill his stomach (Isaiah 40:28). To us he says, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:14,15).

Timing.

Albert Einstein once said, "When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute - and it's longer than any hour. That's relativity.” I think Carmen Davis said it better: "I know things will happen in God's time and not mine. But I'm getting a little restless."

God's timing continues to amaze me. The day after I submitted the last post, I had begun studying for a counselling exam which focused on Anger, Anxiety, the Five Stages of Grief, Coping Strategies, Giving and Receiving Bad News... etc. The next day I found out that my grandmother had passed away. The following day, I found out that the final placement I was looking forward to and almost planned my life around was not going to work out. Instead of learning on how to be the one to counsel someone in the Five Stages of Grief and their positive and negative coping strategies, I required someone to give me counselling. Strange, how that happens, isn't it? (Read as "God's timing.)

Recently I have been reading an incredible book called Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright. It's about how there is life after life after death and how we often have a wrong view of what heaven looks like and what it means to be resurrected to eternal life and come back to a new heaven and a new EARTH. I started it just before Thanksgiving but it seems to have taken months to get through (in addition to the regular distractions of readings for school that you're getting tested on). I think we should get tested on this more often.

Yesterday I was sitting in a local Italian eatery with a friend when she asked me how I was being so strong and composed. I told her that both my grandmother and I had a hope for life after this one - so what's there to be upset about? I think, however, that I might have had quite a different reaction if I hadn't spent the last 3 months reading an intense theological discussion about the topic. (God's timing). My friend continued to ask questions about heaven, my beliefs, about my hope, and how to know my beliefs are the right ones and not other ones like reincarnation or simply nothing after death at all. I have been continually challenged by this friend that God has brought into my life, and I thank God for her. She constantly challenges me to have an answer for the faith I have and helps me recognize when I'm not prepared for the questions she asks.

Anyway, that leads me back to the whole "timing" thing. I'm recognizing that I was more upset about the placement change than my grandmother's death. The chapter that I am reading tonight in Surprised by Hope is about reshaping the church for its mission. The paragraph I just read talked about John 21 and the church in Acts. I went back and re-read those sections, and although yes they do talk about God's plan for the church when it is resurrection focused, the following points jumped out at me:

- Jesus keeps on mixing things up. The disciples have a plan which they've worked out and then Jesus comes and switches it up ("Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some fish."). Clearly they think what He's saying is rediculous. They've fished all days and haven't caught anything and THEY are the experienced fisherman.

- Jesus' mixing things up works for the best - (They caught fish)

- Jesus calls us to situations that we don't always have the experience for. For example, He asked them not only to become fishers of men, but to "Feed my sheep" and be shepherds. So they understood the whole fishermen lingo, but now shepherds? Again Jesus mixes it up and gives Peter a new task.

Later (reading from Acts), the disciples are following Jesus around wondering if Christ's mission was to restore the kingdom to Israel. In verse seven Jesus says in reply:

"It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Definitely not what they were expecting. Yes, they wouldn't know God's timing, but Jesus was also saying YES I have come to restore the kingdom, but it won't look like what you imagine, it will look like something very different instead."

God has a better plan for our lives in the current day that we're in, month, year, and even eternally than we can plan. Yes, I've been learning this continually and it still hasn't stuck.

"When things go wrong, you'll find they usually go on getting worse for some time, but when things start going right, they often keep getting better and better." C.S. Lewis

Tis so sweet.

I recently came across my friend's blog where she posted the following hymn. God constantly reminds me of His goodness and faithfulness in my life, even when I forget to trust Him. For example, God blessed me by showing grace through one of my supervisor's that I probably did not deserve, from a supervisor that I have constantly struggled with loving. Christ can show His love to us through the oddest ways and even through the people we least expect it from.

'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,  

and to take him at his word;  

just to rest upon his promise, 

and to know, "Thus saith the Lord."   

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him!  

How I've proved him o'er and o'er! 

Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!  

O for grace to trust him more!   

I'm so glad I learned to trust thee, 

precious Jesus, Savior, friend;  

and I know that thou art with me,  

wilt be with me to the end. 

We are God's Workmanship

"For it is by (God's) grace I have been saved, through faith - and this not from ourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that I can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:8-10)

"Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison, and you came for me.....(then after the disciples say.."Jesus, when were you hungry, etc., he says....)...I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

Today we had our first meeting for Peru. After talking about logistics, scheduling, etc., my supervisor discussed how often they find that when they travel there, many of the clients and their families wonder why "rich white people" are there to see them. Most of the professionals volunteer there after they've spent a long day at their paying jobs, and will miss dinner in order to fit another client in. My supervisor also mentioned that she often struggles with whether it's even worth it sometimes that we go to another culture, where we set out with goals of where we hope to see our client get to, yet the client never progresses. Have we failed? Was the session pointless? The wise leader of SIA at Brock has been known to say something along the lines as... "Have you treated them with dignity? Have you acknowledge that they too have needs and deserve your time and efforts? Have you talked with, developed a relationship with them? Then your session has been successful."

I was reviewing for my Bible study in Ephesians tonight when I came upon the above verses. As I begin to prepare for the trip, I am beginning to think about the reason for WHY I want to go and do these "great works", why God has called us and what sort of response I would give someone if they asked me why I was there, or why I am paying to go to a placement that I don't need, when I could finally be starting my career and getting paid. I especially like the part where Paul says, "created in Christ Jesus to (or 'for the purpose of') do good works" and, as I have mentioned on the posts before, that God has prepared us AHEAD of time for these things. He has created us uniquely, and has created us FOR the unique opportunities that we have and will be given. I am there to love these children as I want to be there to love Christ.

Calling & Career Collide

THE BIG NEWS! (so far...)

In December 2006, I joined with 35,000 other university students in St. Louis, Missouri, for Urbana 2006 (www.urbana.org - check it out!). An incredible week of learning, multi-cultural worship (and dancing), challenges, speakers (including Rick Warren, Princess Tutu & Bono), and opportunities to learn about how we can share the hope that we have in our careers, in our countries or beyond. It was because of Urbana that I was challenged to sign up to go to Spain with Next Level International, as I was challenged to use the gifts that I had in music in order to grow and share God's love. While searching through the large building that has hundreds of booths on organizations about doctors or nurses traveling, the need for teachers, etc., I searched for one on Speech-Language Pathology & Missions, but unfortunately, I couldn't really find anything like that. Since this was 2.5 years before I would even get a degree, the chances of actually qualifying wouldn't be likely. However, like always, God has something up his sleeve...

This summer, following the completion of my graduate degree (and THE END of school!) I will be heading to Peru with three of my peer SLP's and two supervisors. There we will have the opportunity to use our skills and abilities in order to serve the kids and families in the various areas that we will be working in.

We will also be partnering with Solidarity in Action, a not-for-profit social justice organization, specifically working with kids who are unable to successfully complete one of the most important functions after breathing - eating and communicating.

First we will be partnering with a Cleft Lip and Palate treatment centre called "Armonizar" in Lima, which promotes the "physical, psychological and spiritual harmony of children with a lack of economic resources". Awesome.

Then we will be traveling to "Alegria", a school for children with multiple physical needs who need rehabilitation. As well, we may travel to Cusco and get to work with the children at the Cusco school for the deaf!

Isaiah 1:17 says, "Seek justice, encourage the oppressed (or "rebuke the oppressor"). Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow."

"For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt." (Deuteronomy 10:17-19).

“For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever." (Jeremiah 7:5-7)

Just Google "social justice" and "Jesus" and you'll get the message...

As Christians we are called not only share the message of who Jesus is and hope that's good enough, but to be His hands and feet, providing for the needs of others without expecting anything in return. We are so blessed in Canada. In addition to being financially blessed, we take the ability to communicate with others for granted. We are a lot less likely to be expelled from our families/villages /towns/schools because we can't eat, talk or smile like those around us, and we have so many resources and opportunities to travel to get the help and the support that we need.

What is also amazing, is that over the last year or so, I have been building some amazing relationships (and building upon a few challenging ones - see previous articles) with the five women from Western who will be traveling on this trip. I know that it will be challenging as we prepare, travel, and live together, never knowing what may happen next in an unfamiliar country and culture. I pray that they will be able to see the real reason behind why I chose to go on this trip, and know who Christ is through my actions and my speech.

I looked at our schedule, and we even have "Optional: Worship with Large Group" on the first Sunday we are there. I have no idea exactly what this will look like, but that is so exciting!

AND, I had the opportunity to take a full-year, full-credit Spanish for Beginners course for free this year at Western, which happened to fit perfectly into my schedule, allowing me to get down and dirty with Spanish grammar for report writing.

It's so exciting how God pieces together our lives for something big. For His glory.

Anyway, that's what's going on so far. I'll give you updates as we get closer to the summertime. As well, we will be raising money to bring extra supplies for the clinics (special feeding bottles for the children with cleft lips or palates, therapy supplies, oral care supplies (toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc.)), so if you are interested in donating, let me know. I hope to host a "Pasta for Peru" lunch or dinner, so that we can raise money for trip too!

If anything, pray! Pray for:

1. The Speech Team - for unity, patience, wisdom, creativity (as we plan now and in Peru)
2. Financial Donations - a) so we can assist the clinics and families with as much support as we can; b) that I will not be stressed about costs of the trip
3. Safety/Health - that no one would get sick or injured
4. The kids and families that we will be working with - in the shanty towns, clinics, schools, communities, and the hosts that will be letting us stay there
5. Opportunities to share about the hope we have in Christ & His unconditional love!
6. The Challenges that we have yet to face

That's all for now! In the mean time, check out:

• Armonizar
• The Blog of Last Year's Trip

In Love, Tiffany

¿Hola? ¿Comó estás?

No, you didn't find your way onto the Spanish version of the page. You may have noticed that it's been almost a year since I blogged. It's not because God has not been teaching me things! OH! He has! I've barely had a chance to catch my breath to write them down! I don't feel like I am called to be much of a blogger, but as I was reading a friend's blog the other day, I noticed my old Blog linked on the side of his page.

It's crazy to think of where I have been a year ago from today, and even when I first started this blog. I didn't know what my future held, what I would be doing two years from then - what career I would get to do, if I'd get into school, where that might take me...

But stay tuned... my next blog about the new challenge that Christ has called me into reminds me of Ephesians 1 when it says:

^"3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. ⁴For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵he^[c] predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ⁷In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace ⁸that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. ⁹And he^[d]made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, ¹⁰to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

¹¹In him we were also chosen,^[e] having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, ¹²in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.¹³And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory."

I can promise you I won't be arguing for or against predestination, but I will be sharing with you how I am beginning to see how parts of His plan have come together... and I'm so excited to tell you!

Gifts and Presence.

God is good. 

God is here. 

God is present. 

Strange how the word for Christmas 'present' (as in gift) and being 'here' is the same.  

Disclaimer: It is currently late at night and my thoughts may not be very clear or even very intelligent. Likely I'll re-read this later and delete it. We'll see.

Did you see the AdventConspiracy.org video? I'm pretty sure it's raging across the Christian scene, or it was. Did you do anything about it? I know I definitely saw it and thought to myself, I'm going to do that. Pick PRESENCE. Pick PEOPLE. Stop spending money. Then I went out the Christian bookstore and bought a book for someone that wasn't even on their list, and maybe wasn't even that practical (though it is a GREAT book and I think that she will still love it).  And I even bought Christmas cards for some people when I could've/should've just made them one when I have in the past.  I am however, realizing the importance of spending time with people. With PRESENTS/PRESENCE. 

The King of Kings has surrounded me with incredible Women of God.  These women are often going through the same things as I am, and we can pray for each other, encourage each other, laugh with each other, and cry.  It was the cry of my heart this summer as I was heading off to London that I would find someone to which I could go to for support, and to whom I could also pour into. Not only has he blessed me in London, but back in Barrie too!  So PRAISE THE LORD for answered prayers! A group of us were able to get together on Monday night, and just chat with each other, and pour our hearts into each other. We didn't need flashy cards, or to out-gift each other, but just BE with each other. That could be one of the best gifts I could get this Christmas, thank-you God!

Reflecting on that has also helped me to realize that I need to give God my time too. I need to spend more time with Him. I started reading a great new book called "Jesus For President" (by Shane Claiborne) which is awesome, and I highly recommend it, but there's no substitute for God's Word and God's Time - no running commentary, no flashy pages and pictures (though that'd be cool too) but just Him and I.  

AND... I need to talk to Him first about anything and everything, including my frustrations, versus going to friends first - both guys and girls.  Yes, that's something we all learn in church all the time, but it's SO easy to forget. Tonight I realized that. I went all verbal diarrhea with a guy friend when I should've just gone to God for it. Not only did I go to him for advice which I should've gone to God for first, but I realized we likely crossed the boundary of friendship that wasn't as strong as I know it should have been.  I ended up not feeling better with his advice, but worse.  Whether he recognized it or not, there should've been a better boundary between what we chatted about, how much we shared with each other, and even how much time we spent talking with each other.  Unbeknownst to him (as well as myself) I was creating an emotional tie where one didn't have the security to be (if that makes sense?) and wasn't healthy for our other girl-guy friendships/relationships.  I've read multiple books about boundaries, about finding the balance between guarding your heart and being vulnerable, but it's so hard!  

In various songs we sing "Jesus, You are my best friend, You will always be, nothing will ever change that" (okay that's one certain song, but there's others along that line), but DO we ALWAYS go to Jesus first? Do we treat Him like our best friend? Eager to tell Him about our day, what we're excited about, what we're mad about, and want to spent most of our time with Him? Choose Him first over other people? In May I went on Vacation with Jesus (read the Spain/England Chronicles) but ever since then, I think I was satisfied with that time that we spent together so intimately, as if it would make up for the rest of the year.  Like a Honeymoon was enough time that a married couple could have alone together to prepare for their marriage for the rest of their lives. yeah right.  I long for that isolation with Him again, the one-on-oneness. Makes me better understand why the great leaders of the Bible (including Jesus) would go out into the desert to get away from everything. To set themselves apart; Why God pulled His people out into the desert for a long time, and pulled them away from everything... Here is a friend regardless of whether we are male or female to whom we can talk about anything with. We can be vulnerable with Him.  The year 2009 is going to be the year I get to know Jesus as my Best Friend again.  

So note to self: Go to God first, and be open to throwing yourself out in the desert (whatever that might be). 

It's my Best Friend's Birthday tomorrow, and it's kinda a big deal.  Strangely we don't blow up balloons or even have cake and candles.  And even more strangely, we give gifts to each other and not to him.  But then Boxing Day will come and most of the planet will even forget how the God of the universe, the Most High King, took on the form of man, slept in a feeding trough surrounded by cow dung and lowly shepherds so that one day He would die a horrible death in our place so that we might spend eternity with Him in heaven.  Yah my best friend did that. 

Did yours?    

Emmanuel, Wonderful Counsellor, Lord of Life, Lord of All

He is the Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Holy One,

Emmanuel