Thanks and no thanks

Here are a few things, though not exhaustive, I am thankful for today, the first day after my 40th birthday:

1. For being 40 and being oh so much wiser
2. For being 40 and being oh so much more handsome
3. For being 40 and having no desire to have a mid-life crisis
4. For being 40 and having four kids that make me feel like I’m early 20’s
5. For being 40 and having the sexiest wife around
6. For being 40 and knowing that if the Lord wills it, I still have another 40 to serve Him

Things I am not thankful for: (Although…these realizations have been very helpful)

1. For being 40 and realizing that I wasted many years of the first half of my life on me
2. For being 40 and realizing how poorly I spent my resources thus far
3. For being 40 and seeing how, in ministry, I was still very selfish many times
4. For being 40 and failing to trust God fully in all things
5. For being 40 and not knowing more of God’s word
6. For being 40 and being 30lbs heavier than I want to be

The great thing about looking back in retrospect on your life is that if God gives me the time, I can accomplish much in the next 40! Praise God for the ability to redeem our days here on earth!

I encourage you, on your next birthday, whether 20, 30, 40, or whenever, maybe even today, take some time to review who you have been and what you have or have not done. And then, with God’s grace, begin fresh! A new slate is always available to the follower of Christ!

Good question!

Recently, I came across this book in the blog of Keith Webb
, a fellow brother at CRM (Church Resource Ministries) in Singapore.

I ordered it on line, and bam! It came right to my door….amazing. The book is called “Coaching Questions.”

I’m not a professional coach, but I am a person who is striving to follow the example of Jesus Christ, a person who desires to make disciples. As such, I wasn’t sure how the book would impact me, but I figured that it’s always good to have a few new questions in one’s arsenal, so I thought I would give it a try.

The day I got it, I sat down with a pen and outlined the first quarter of the book. I then put it down. It amazed me how immediately useful the information was. This book is fantastic in it’s ability to get you to think about the questions that you ask when you meet with people.

Personally, it has caused me to do some thinking before a meeting, to think during the meeting, and to think afterward. Trust me here, I’m not just talking about worthless pondering.

I’m talking about thinking over the types of questions you ask and how you ask them, and then, thinking about how to catch yourself in mid sentence when asking a closed question to turn it around to be open.

The other day, I came inside from reading in the garage (that’s my office) and right away, I used some of the pointers from the book on my unsuspecting wife. This actually helped me head off an argument by teaching me to ask more open questions that showed her that I was interested in knowing what she was thinking, and not just getting a yes or no.

I have also used, and continue to use, more creative questions when I’m discipling, which in turn leads me to better know the people I serve.

I wouldn’t say this about most books, but “Coaching Questions” would be a great book to get whether you are a coach, pastor, or just a plain ol’ guy like me!

Travel

Whew!

May has been crazy….and it’s over!

Wow!

Shauna spent a week with her grandmother in Missouri a few weeks back. I had the three older kids.

Wow!

It actually went really well. I managed to clothe and feed them every day that Shauna was gone!
We had some good times together.

Then a week ago we went down to Los Altos in CA to visit my sister and her family!

Wow!

We had 4 adults and six kids running around. It was busy, but it was also very nice and at times, relaxing. Sometimes it is nice to get out of town and be with family. Our kids got along wonderfully, and aside from the 14 hour drive home, it was fun!

It was on the car ride down to Los Altos where my wife made an interesting observation about our son and our own relationship to God.

Raiden was continually saying that he wanted to get to “Uncle Woody’s” house. Then, when tired of the trip at various points would exclaim for no real reason,
“We are never going to get to Uncle Woody’s house.”

It’s what every parent with kids experiences on a long road trip.

Our son knew that we were on a journey.
He knew that we were destined for “Uncle Woody’s” house.
We were feeding him along the way.
He got chances to get out and stretch his legs at rest areas.
He even got to enjoy DVD’s (Man…back in my day….we never….)
We knew that we would eventually get there, but his understanding of how many miles and how many hours was not developed enough to give him comfort.

Raiden really had to trust that we would get him there, and that we would do it as safely as we could and as quickly as our plan allowed.

Along the way there was some great scenery, but we think that he missed alot of it because he was complaining about not being there, and he was glued to what he knew…the DVD player….and of course, kids at his age really aren’t interested in scenery that much.

In the end, we got to our destination safely, and pretty much on time. We had some bumps along the way….our 4 month old needed to stop at more rest areas to eat than we had imagined and she cried a bit, but that was pretty much it.

So……

On this journey to Scotland,

We know that God intends for us to be in Glasgow. He has made that abundantly clear.
We are being taken care of with our needs. We have food and shelter.

But, I continue to ask over and over again (much more often than my son ever did)
“When are we going to be in Glasgow?”

And sometimes (although I hate to admit it) I do say “I don’t think we are ever going to get to Scotland.” I don’t really mean it…..I’m just saying it because I’m frustrated and want to be there yesterday. In my mind, it’s taking way too long…you see, my concept of time is not what God’s concept of time is…..I’m still learning!

What I realized is that just as I needed my son to trust that we would get him to “Uncle Woody’s” house, so will God get us to Scotland.

If I could have had my way with Raiden, he would have asked once or twice and then been content to trust in his parents. He would have enjoyed the scenery, asked some good questions about what he was seeing and been thankful for the snacks and breaks along the way.

I think I need to learn from my son the same lesson with God on this journey.

Maybe God would be pleased if I trusted more and complained less about the length of the trip.

We are His children after all, and we are on quite a journey!

It has been said…..

“I often think that it is only the very, very few who are prepared by rigorous self-discipline(not a very popular thing nowadays) for a lifetime of great usefulness like John Wesley.” James Fraser

“Give me 100 preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on earth. God does nothing but in answer to prayer.” John Wesley

“Every preacher who does not make prayer a mighty factor in his own life and ministry is weak as a factor in God’s work and is powerless to project God’s cause in this world.” E.M. Bounds

“We have to guard against thinking that it does not matter whether we see present fruit or not. On the contrary, we should give the Lord no rest until we see fruit. Therefore, in persevering yet submissive prayer, we should make our requests known to God. I am now looking for many more children to be converted.” George Muller

“To put it differently: If I were to land in this culture as a missionary, where would I begin? I am convinced that it is time to allow a new generation to hear the gospel in new ways and to begin to devise new ways of expressing the gospel community for our times.” Peter Neilson of present day Scotland

“Most Christians in the Northern Hemisphere simply do not believe Jesus’ teaching about the deadly danger of possessions.” Ronald J. Sider

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” The Apostle Paul

“So many others have already said it so much better than I…..” Brian Luse

Where we are

I thought that maybe it would be good to give a quick update on where the Luse family is on the Journey to Glasgow, Scotland.

Last week I spent some quality time in downtown Portland registering my “biometric data” with the UK consulate. Basically, as of April of this year, the UK and other countries require that you now have your fingerprints scanned and a digital photo taken.

I am close to sending in my visa request to the UK consulate in LA. If all goes well, I will have a visa for our family and entry into Scotland will be taken care of.

We continue, as a family to downsize our stuff in an effort to get close to our traveling weight. What that exact weight is, hard to say…..less is a good bet. So many things I no longer own….a lawnmower, a weed eater, a really big TV, blenders and crock pots, various art and lots of books. It feels good.

In terms of support we are a bit over half of the way to our budget after 7 months of work. This is the key factor to our being able to buy airplane tickets. We would love to be in Glasgow in July. This would allow our kids to register for school and start the new year right. It would also give us a chance to move and get acclimated in summer…..not a neccessity, but certainly a nice thought!

As a family, we long to be in Scotland to begin the work that God has for us to do, and that makes this a time of patience and faith building. I recognize that this is a good thing…not an easy thing…but a good thing.

We are encouraged overall in our support raising efforts as we realize that the average time that it takes missionaries to raise their support is one and a half to two years. Obviously, we would like to be in Scotland sooner, but more than anything, we long to see God continue to move.

Clearly, God is in this. He has again and again confirmed in our hearts the rightness of this path. He continues to add to our financial support regularly and He also brings new prayer partners who will pray for us and for the people we go to. He has brought Evergreen (our church) on board and He has provided for our needs as we continue to wait on His timing.

Onward we press!

Shhhh….The chickens are sleeping….

This is what my hilarious daughter, Connie, whispered to me yesterday, with finger pushed up to her lips, as we sat at a picnic bench eating our sandwiches. And what made it even better, is that just previous to this very profound phrase, we had not been talking, she simply pulled it out of nothing!

I love that.

I wonder if God has those moments with us?

We’re just sitting around, enjoying spending time with one another, and then….bam….we turn to God and say:

“Shhhhhh…..the chickens are sleeping.”

And then God busts up laughing, and we do too.

A good and deep theological question to be sure….”Do we have the ability to make God laugh?”

And the follow up.. “If we do indeed have that ability to make Him laugh, do we use it?”

I think we do.

I’m created in His image, and man…did I laugh yesterday!

Shhhhh…..the chickens are sleeping…..

The hungry

Last night, Justin and I went down under the Hawthorne bridge where the “Sanctity of Hope” RV is always parked on Sunday nights.

We were dropping off a BBQ that I had given Justin a year ago. We were not going to stay, Justin had a paper to write, I had not been feeling well (had a headache). When we got there David “The Natural Gas guy” was there with his wife.

David had bought some burgers, 40 of them. They were to be a rare treat. Hot dogs were the normal menu item, but tonight….people began to line up for the rare and extravagant cheese burgers.

Justin and I decided to stay and lend a hand. After all…a paper? A headache? C’mon…..people were hungry and we had a chance to help. Sometimes, that’s all it takes. A willingness.

So we cooked up dogs and burgers. We laughed with the people in line who were hungry. I laughed as Justin tried to flip his burgers with a plastic fork that soon became melted and bent beyond recognition. I laughed more, as the hair on his hands became singed and melted like the fork.

“Ya know…James Fraser would have flipped the burgers with his bare hands….”
(This is an odd and silly reference to the biography of a crazy missionary/mountain man to China that Justin and I have been reading. The book is called “Mountain Rain” and is well worth the read)

As I handed out the burgers and hot dogs, I heard more “Thank you” and “Thanks” than I have in a long, long time. These men and women were honestly thankful and they took the effort to say it.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t serve so that people can stroke my ego. I don’t need the “Thank you” I’m just saying, these people were genuinely thankful for the laughter and the food. It was a true blessing to be able to help last night and I want to say “Thank you” to Sanctity of Hope for being down there, “Thank you” to David for the thoughtfulness of the burgers, “Thank you” to Justin for the burned hand, smoke in the eyes, putting off the paper, and “Thank you” to God for the smile I went away with.

A really big TV

I used to have a really big TV.

It was a Sony 55″ rear projection LCD, Hi Def, with HDMI ports….oh baby it was big and beautiful.
But I don’t love it….I mean…. I don’t have it anymore.

It was my wife who said (out of nowhere after dinner one night) “I think we should sell your TV (It was always my TV….I was the lunatic who bought it a few years ago…so rightly said) and give the money to the benevolence fund at Evergreen (Our church).

Now….a few years ago (ok a few months ago) I would have said “Woman you crazy….do you know who’s TV that is? That’s right it’s mine…and it’s big and beautiful and it’s mine, and it’s really big…) Pretty persuasive huh? A lot of God in that too!

But this time, I was ready to hear those fateful words. I had been for a few weeks, thinking that the TV was one of the last vestiges of my life before the sacrifice to go to Scotland.

It was a little uncomfortable having supporters over for dinner…..not able to sit in the dining area because it was too small to fit all of us…so the adults sitting in the family room dominated of course by the massive TV. I don’t think they really cared, but I did. It didn’t jive with my inner call to put everything behind me for the joy of following Christ to Glasgow.

So, last week, I sold it.

My intern Justin bought it. Well….he got the money from someone who loves him and has charged him with using it as a ministry….so in a way, it’s still in the family. Justin if you’re reading this, get back to studying and turn that dang thing off!!

Now I can say I truly know what it feels like to be a missionary….I have sacrificed what I love, like Christ says, “leaving home, and family and really big TV’s.” (Brian paraphrase)

Yep, it’s a big sacrifice to now only be watching a 32″ TV that was in my kids’ room…..but hey….that’s the life of sacrifice I lead!

Wow, have I got a long way to journey or what? Maybe you do to. We’ll go it together!

“Come and follow me.” JC

It’s all about statistics….

Ok, not really…..but here are some updated statistics for the number lover in you…..

1. Rolling Hills decided not to support us
2. We are currently at 49% of our monthly goal
3. We are all healthy physically
4. We have 5 people who have voiced interest in supporting us, but have not given the final commitment
5. The pound to dollar was 1.98 to 1.00 yesterday
6. Evergreen Community Church has asked me to come to their elder’s meeting next Thursday
7. My newest daughter is 9 weeks old
8. My most recent wife is having a birthday tomorrow
9. I ran 3 miles and burned 510 calories yesterday
10. I have a Basal Metabolic Rate of 1804 calories
11. I’m selling my 55″ Sony TV

Hope those numbers help you relate to us and that they draw you ever closer to our journey as missionaries to Glasgow, Scotland!

Breaking with the self

I’m almost finished with a biography of a man named Rees Howells. He was a Welsh man who lived in the late 1800’s and died in 1950. It was a book recommended by a friend, Scott Burns.

Biographies are, in general, a fantastic look into the lives of other saints from the past. They usually serve to encourage and often stretch me.

Let me put in this disclaimer though…they in no way take the place of a constant diet of the Word of God. Currently I am in 6-10 chapters out of the gospels every day and am reading through a book of the New Testament each week with a good friend and intern, Justin Gunter. There is no substitute for the Words of life.

The above boasting aside, I am reading around one biography every couple months or so. I recently finished Robert Murray McCheyne, a pastor and man of faith from the town of Dundee, Scotland where my great great grandparents were married. I am also re-reading with Justin, Mountain Rain, the biography of James Fraser, a missionary to the Lisu tribes in China.

Now with that said, I have just about finished the biography of Rees Howells in a week. Why the rapid reading? Man o’ man has it stirred up my soul.

The gist of the book might be this:
You may indeed have given your life to Christ and have found forgiveness for sin and salvation for your soul, but it is another matter to actually make a break with the flesh and make the decision to give up possession of your entire being to the Spirit of God to work in you however He will.

Hear me, I’m not talking of salvation, but rather what comes after the acceptance of the free gift, after you are called a child of Christ.

It’s really about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. It is the desire to be just as Jesus Christ is…..that’s the definition of a Talmid (Hebrew for disciple). Not to simply know what Christ knows, but to in every way emulate Him. This of course means a life given to the Spirit of God, the helper, the counselor.

I think that too often, as with discipleship, we have taken (I have taken) too light a view of what it means to give over to the Holy Spirit of God. Far too often, I do not make a break with the flesh….I hold some back, and in so doing, I can’t know what it is to be just like Christ. To be led into the wilderness, or led to pray for this person, or heal that person.

I know this sounds basic, but I’m not talking basic. I’m talking of breaking with it all. Have you broken with the fleshly desire for money? Really?

So money is to you no more than what it was to Jesus Christ, or let’s say, John the Baptist? Really?

To break with it, I believe is to say, “The money I have is not mine. I will not control it or use it for what I want. I will do only what the Spirit of God impells me to do with it.” It may mean that I have to sell my TV, my Xbox, my ipod, my whatever…..and realize that I may never get those things back. It also means that I really need to have a good relationship with the Holy Spirit so that I can receive instructions….you know like Christ did….enough to actually be led in to the wilderness. For those of you who believe that God really doesn’t speak to us……you might as well just give it up now.

It may mean that I have no retirement savings, no equity, no savings account, no this or that. But, the point is not the stuff. It’s the willingness. Are you willing to say to the Spirit of God, I give control of all of this to you, I will no longer have my own way.

The truth is, after you have done this, you may get to keep those things, but you will never ever have control over them again. Can you….can I do that? It’s not something you casually say “Oh sure..no problem.”

Honestly, I’m tired of the attitude that prevails, that discipleship with Christ is one big easy, monetarily blessed, walk in the park. It’s not. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ costs you everything. Why do you think that He said stuff like:

Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.

or

Luke 14:33 “So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.”

What do you really think “give up” means? Does it mean that as long as I can justify an Xbox and a 55″ tv for ministry, it’s cool for me to spend my money on that? Or maybe…..”Sure I can save up thousands of dollars for my retirement (which of course I have no idea if I’ll ever see)…it’s just good sense and stewardship…I’m taking care of my family.” Meanwhile my brothers and sisters around me are hungry and unfed, cold and without shelter and clothing.

We seem to be able to justify an awful lot these days, and give up relatively little. I speak honestly of myself. And in the end…it’s not about the stuff, it’s about sacrifice, it’s about letting the decision about the xbox go to the Holy Spirit, it’s about the control. When it comes down to it, I just don’t like giving the control of my life to anyone…not even the Holy Spirit of God. But that’s going to change. It’s time to be done with 95% given up and go the whole 100%.

I want to give it all over, to make that break. Rees Howells knew what that meant and wow….. you should read of the things that the Spirit was able to do through him.