The Heavenly Good of Earthly Work, by Cosden

This was a laborious and difficult read for me but for different reasons than my previous read. After tackling Volf's technical read, "Work in the Spirit," I looked at the writing style and the number of pages of Cosden's book (148 pgs.), and I thought, "I'll get through this one fairly quickly." Not so. Cosden spends a lot of time "exegeting" finer points of Scripture so I found myself mulling over much of his interpretive work, thinking about it, at points coming to a new understanding of "old texts"; at other times thinking, "I respect what Cosden is saying but don't agree with him fully." However, despite the "labor" required (pardon the play on words), my experience was that the book only got better and better as I went along and "my socks were blown off" by the time I reached Cosden's final chapters, especially chapter 6, "Shaping Things to Come: Mission for the Masses.”

Cosden makes the point in chapter 6 (his final chapter) that there is much agreement among various evangelical leaders today that the "modern missions movement" is in crisis, “Most evangelical leaders acknowledge that the western mission enterprise is in trouble and that something is fundamentally wrong with the ‘faith missions movement'” (p. 130).

Cosden gives the example of missions work he did in Russia twenty years ago, right after communism had fallen. This illustration hit me pretty hard as in 1992 I was in Hungary (a former Soviet bloc country that was "liberated" in 1989 with the fall of communism) doing evangelistic missionary work for a couple months. But Cosden writes that right after communism had fallen, "lives and livelihoods were crumbling around us as government-based employment welfare systems, ... fell apart" (p. 128). The most pressing question at that time was, "How does the gospel relate to life?" Cosden writes that "Our model as missionaries guaranteed that we produce 'rice Christians'": in other words, "dependent" Christians who could only hope to be "delivered" from the futility of their situations rather than find hope within them. In a word, this theology of missions that said to people in places like Russia, "trust Jesus and he will save you but has nothing really to say about your 'ordinary lives / work,' but that maybe He just might liberate you to becoming a 'missionary' some day" ... was deeply flawed (and continues to be today). Wow. I finish this post with some Cosden quotes to get us to think more deeply about this "crisis" and the need to re-think how we view work and missions.

“... when done in a way that images God and thus co-operates with him, human work in itself is Christian missionary activity. Why? Because it is largely (though not exclusively) through our work that we reflect God’s image and co-operate with him in bringing people and the whole creation to humanity’s and nature’s ultimate maturity and future…. We are saved to become together the image of Christ, and thus the image of God- and we express and develop this most directly in our work” (pp. 129-130).

“…this means that any understanding of mission that fails to grasp that in itself human work is fundamental to God’s purpose (the mission of God or kingdom of God) for us and creation will be theologically flawed. Likewise, missions thinking that fails to incorporate this theology ultimately undermines the missionary calling of the people of God. For the majority of Christians simply cannot now, nor could they ever, measure up to the modern faith missionary ideal of leaving home and work ‘to work’ for God. For what that understanding of mission unintentionally does is marginalize and thus alienate the vast majority of Christians in the world who will spend most of their lives and life’s energy in ordinary work” (p. 130).

“Thus work is not a platform for mission or evangelism, as if it were somehow subordinate to salvation and eternity. Rather, godly work itself actually spreads by embodying God’s good news, a present experience and foretaste of salvation. For work in itself is a genuine form of life imaging God. It is an ever-open invitation to all to co-operate with God in his purposes” (p. 135).

Work in the Spirit, part 2

This was my most “technical read” so far, yet Volf’s thoughts are not only clear but provocative, challenging and insightful. One part that stuck out to me was when Volf spoke of the concept of “expanding needs.” The thought was basically this: as the wealth of a society grows, its “felt product-needs” grow as well. We begin to think we need more things as “wealth, technology and opportunity” grow in our midst. For example, just a few years ago, I was satisfied with my AOL “dial-up” internet connection. Today, not only do I “need” high-speed access, but I can hardly “go without” my blackberry phone with internet access “all the time.” And don’t we see this in many areas of life as we experience expanding "needs" for “conveniences, according to the nicety and delicacy of taste” (p. 149)? Isn't it much more difficult to be satisfied with “bread and water,” once you’ve tasted delicate pastries and wine?

Nonetheless, what fascinates me the most about Volf’s assessment isn’t so much his assessment; most reading this would agree with this idea of our “expanding felt product needs,” rather what fascinates me the most is Volf’s answer to the “challenge.” He begins by critiquing the more typical Christian response, asceticism, i.e. denial of “good things.” As Volf says, asceticism denies the “dynamic nature” of human needs and misinterprets the “Biblical tradition that affirms the goodness of creation and the enjoyment of it” (Matt. 11:19, 1Tim. 6:17). Still, the “endless spiral in which today’s desires become tomorrow’s needs” must be limited as well, lest great damage result. For one, creation becomes destroyed and ravaged if limits aren’t imposed (see Haiti’s ecological crisis, for example). Also, good things become ultimate things. The consumption of a created thing for enjoyment for the glory of God (a good thing) becomes the sole object of our pursuit and desire, i.e. idolatrous (an ultimate thing) and lives become harmed as a result.

So, if the “answer” is not asceticism, how do we deal with these problems? and affirm the goodness of pursuing material “needs,” at the same time? Volf’s answer is we must see that we have other fundamental needs as well. These are what Volf calls “fundamental non-product needs”: 1) Communion with God; 2) Need for Solidarity with Nature; 3) for Tending to the Well-Being of Others; 4) Human Development of Moral Capacities (nurturing “fruit of the Spirit”) and Practical and Intellectual Skills (developing “gifts of the Spirit”). And ultimately, these “fundamental non-product needs" point us to our single, universal underlying need, ... the Kingdom, i.e. the New Creation (Matt. 6:33).  

In fact, the pursuit of these “non-product” needs are not only a way to keep us from unlimited and unhealthy consumption, but a way for us to realize the fullness of our humanity. So we might see some ways in which these four areas are inter-connected. Working for structures that promote human creativity and flexibility in work, matching human “giftings” (by the Spirit) with work roles and giving workers a clear sense of how their contribution fits into the larger narrative of the purpose behind their work (i.e. the organization’s “larger purpose”), also how their work benefits the “common good” (#4 connects with #3), ... all this fulfills fundamental needs we have. The well-being of society becomes our need and therefore our aim. Also, while work has instrumental value to sustain us and meet our needs, it also becomes an end in itself. You see, our work is meant to glorify God (#1). We see ourselves as working for Him ultimately. As the Reformers insisted, we were meant to work “in play and with the greatest delight” (p. 198). As much as producing efficiently, we were meant to delight in our work as well. Self-forgetfulness is our aim as working for Christ becomes our fundamental pursuit; “everything is added to us as well” as we seek His Kingdom and righteousness (Matt. 6:33). Finally, we steward "non-human creation," because it is a co-heir with us in future glory (Rom. 8:20,21). Not only does this care and preservation of nature (#2) honor a “co-recipient of divine blessing” but benefits others globally and future generations as well. Care of creation becomes a way for producing and extending limited resources to a broader reach (connecting #3 with #2), instead of consuming with only the needs of the individual self in mind.

Where there is creative freedom, understanding of the larger purpose behind the work and how it benefits the common good; where work glorifies God and becomes an end in itself, an object of delight and worship; and where our solidarity with creation and with one another is strengthened, ... the Kingdom comes. Still, it is naïve to ignore the larger structural and economic forces that keep us in roles of “alienating” work. We can pursue these opportunities and seek to place ourselves in the best possible situations; however, part of working for the "common good" means that we examine the systemic and structural evils that keep others from engaging in meaningful / nonalienating / humanizing work. Volf argues that a market economy provides the best possibility for this kind of work; however, that the common good must be a high valuation in this kind of society. What is our responsibility to one another and to the world in which we live? As Calvin once wrote, “It is not enough when a man can say, ‘Oh, I labor, I have my craft,’ or ‘I have such a trade.’ That is not enough. But we must see whether it is good and profitable for the common good, and whether his neighbors may fare better for it” (p. 189). Ultimately, as we work in the Spirit, what we seek is a vision of the New Creation. In the present, we are realistic in that we understand there will always be “toil” this side of “glory,” ... still we work with hopefulness because in our possession is the Resurrection of Christ and the resultant pouring forth of the Spirit's gifts onto His people.

Work in the Spirit, by Miroslav Volf

I can already tell that this book by Volf will be my most "technical read" so far; however, the intro. has already intrigued me greatly. Let me share a section with you, and I will plan to comment again on this work, once I am a little further along:


"I believe that economic systems should be judged primarily by three normative principles: freedom of individuals, satisfaction of the basic needs of all people, and protection of nature from irreparable damage. All three of these principles can be derived from the notion of ‘new creation,’ which in the present book functions as the main ethical norm. First, the concept of new creation implies guarding the individual’s dignity. Each person is created in the image of God and is called to a personal relation with Christ as His brother or sister. In economic life the individual is thus not to be treated as a thing but as a free and responsible agent. Second, the concept of new creation has implications for community. It implies practicing solidarity. Every person is called to be an heir with Christ in the community of God’s people. In economic life this should mobilize us to work for the fulfillment of everyone’s basic needs. In particular, it implies a preferential option for the poor. Third, the concept of new creation has implications for the natural environment. It implies the responsibility of preserving the integrity of nature. Nature is not a mere thing. Rather, the Bible teaches us that it suffers under corruptibility and will participate in the freedom of the children of God (Rom. 8:78ff.). In economic life this implies that protection of nature from irreparable damage must accompany any work on or in nature" (pp. 16,17).

That Distant Land, by Wendell Berry

Berry has a wonderful way of bringing the reader into the fictional community of Port William. With a love for the land and the intricate web of relationships comprising a “membership” of people, Berry takes us into the lives of multiple generations, from a teenage Wheeler Catlett when he is grappling with his mother’s love for her alcoholic baby brother Uncle Peach to an elderly Wheeler getting lost driving, though never admitting it, for “Wheeler assumed that being in motion was the same as being found. If he kept going, he would eventually see something he recognized” (p. 435). Also, we meet Burley Coulter who regretted never marrying the “love of his life” Kate Helen Branch (p. 378), but, after Kate's death, always cared for their son Danny Branch and his family. In fact, Danny and Burley held so much in common with their love for the land, hunting, gathering berries, being men “of the woods and streams," near the end of Burley’s life, Danny with a love for his dad, someone in the early years he called “Uncle Burley,” “sneaks” Burley out of the hospital and brings him to a place by the “old barnhouse” that Burley loved so much, “… the barn had been used for many years only by groundhogs and other wild creatures and by Burley and Danny, who had sheltered there many a raining day or night” (p. 385). Danny buries Burley, “A heavy pressure of finality swelled in his heart and throat as if he might have wept aloud, but as he walked he made no sound. He stepped into the grave and laid the body down” (p. 413). We meet Andy Catlett’s grandfather Mat Feltner who, along with his mother, as a young man, found a way to forgive Thad Coulter who had killed Mat’s father Ben in a moment of rage. Andy writes, “I am blood kin to both sides of that moment when Ben Feltner turned to face Thad Coulter in the road and Thad pulled the trigger. The two families, sundered in the ruin of a friendship, were united again first in new friendship and then in marriage. My grandfather made a peace here that has joined many who would otherwise have been divided. I am the child of his forgiveness” (p. 75). Also we walk with barely-a-teenager Elton Penn who hates his step-father but is welcomed in by Tol and Minnie Proudfoot. As Elton grows, he marries Mary (against her family’s wishes) and works hard as a hired hand on the land of Jack Beechum. Though leaving a vague will, it had always been Jack Beechum’s wish that Elton receive the land at ½ its value, at $200/acre. However the daughter of Jack Beechum, Clara, and her husband Gladston have more interest in profitability than their father’s wishes, so put up the land for sale. At Wheeler Catlett’s prodding, Elton keeps bidding on the land, finally winning it at $300/acre. While Elton has taken on more than he can afford and hates the thought of seeking help from others, Wheeler says to him, “Your debt to Jack Beechum is a debt, and it’s not payable- not to him, anyhow…. This is only human friendship…. It’s not accountable, because we’re dealing in goods and services that we didn’t make, that can’t exist at all except as gifts…. you’re friends and neighbors, you work together, and so there’s lot’s of giving and taking without a price- some that you don’t remember, some that you never knew about. You don’t send a bill. You don’t, if you can help it, keep an account” (pp. 287-88). Many years later, Elton and Mary, with the help of friends, have worked hard to pay off the note. 

What more can we say about these characters of Berry's? We could go on about the wonderful characters of brothers Mart and Art Rowanberry, … the twinkle in their father Early’s eyes when Art returns from the war or the strength of Nancy Beechum who, with her son Mat, chose to forgive her husband’s murderer; the supportiveness of Nathan and Hannah Coulter when their Uncle Burley decides to give his land to Danny and Lyda, instead of to them. 

Berry certainly has a way of “drawing you in” and bringing you into the lives of these dear people as they make their way through the years. The heart awakens to insights and reflections about the human experience that are poignant and penetrating, moving, profound and also ordinary, … ordinary in the sense that the experience of grappling with sadness and hardship is common to us all. I began the book hardly having read much of Berry. I leave it deeply moved and a huge Berry fan. Were I to try and summarize the major themes of Berry's book, they would come down to these: a) friendship; b) land; c) community; and d) the virtues of time-tested ways. Perhaps the reflections near the end of the book summarizes it well:

"Danny Branch was one of Wheeler Catlett’s last comforts, for Danny embodied much of the old integrity of country life that Wheeler had loved and stood for…. In a time when farmers had believed that they had to take their needs to market or they could not prosper, Lyda and Danny ate what they grew or what came, free for the effort, from the river and woods. They drank from their well and milk from their cow, and in winter sat warm beside a stove in which their own wood burned. Because Danny still worked mules, they grew much of their own fuel for farm work. They fertilized their fields mostly with manure from the animals. And so of course they prospered. And so in the last light of Wheeler’s day and time he and Danny had one another’s company, and that was prosperity too, in its way” (p. 433).

Desiring the Kingdom, by James K. A. Smith

Smith writes with the premise that we are first and foremost loving creatures, that too often Christians have overly-emphasized the importance of right doctrine or right thinking to combat the challenges of living in a world that holds much in antithesis with the Gospel of Christ. Not that these emphases are wrong in and of themselves but that they do not go far enough, because ultimately if we are "loving" creatures and not merely "thinking" creatures, then it is going to take more than "right thinking" to transform and change us into the people we are supposed to be. Smith contends that the practices of worship that we partake in on a regular basis, both private and public, individual and corporate, begin to shape our hearts and imaginations as they get embedded into our "social imaginary." These habits begin to give us a love for the vision of the Kingdom of God and to live for it instead of the lesser visions of human flourishing that are all around us. Smith makes the case that there are many "secular (i.e. competing) liturgies" all around us that vie for our affections, become embedded into our hearts and turn our hearts' desires. All these "liturgies" hold forth a kind of vision for human flourishing, i.e. the Kingdom of God, ... yet also hold unsatisfactory, even harmful answers. For example, think about the "liturgies" of national patriotism and sporting events, often intertwined into a common story: a) we say the pledge of allegiance from our youth in school; b) we sing the national anthem at various sporting events; c) we honor fallen soldiers at these events: d) we have military aircraft fly overhead before the start of sporting events; e) we inter-mix stories of "glory" whether that of the gridiron or the battlefield and f) we mix metaphors in both arenas as we speak of "combat, the heat of battle, being a warrior/soldier, etc."  

Now, the emphasis on these themes is not bad in and of itself unless it supplants the dominant image that the Gospel of Christ means to bring us, that we are part of a pan-national citizenship that involves all who have a citizenship in heaven, ... a vision of a Kingdom that involves all peoples, nations and tribes and seeks their shalom and flourishing.  Also, we no longer speak of the "ultimate sacrifice" as necessarily a soldier dying for one country, sometimes in the middle of killing soldiers of other countries, but we redefine the "ultimate sacrifice" after the vision of Isaiah 53 when we're told about "the suffering servant" who was "... oppressed and afflicted, yet ... did not open his mouth; ... led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth."  The "ultimate sacrifice" envisions the One who gave up His life for "all peoples, nations and tribes," for their advantage and flourishing, not only that of one nation. 

But the larger point for Smith is that we have come to assume and "love" these ideas of sacrifice and American nationalism because of the practices and "liturgies" we have participated in, often from youth, and their exercise have created a space in our hearts and imaginations to live out of the power of their narrative.  Yet, for the heart to be changed and transformed to desire the Kingdom of God, counter-formative habits and practices of Christian practice and worship need to be a regular and intentional part of our lives; they must serve as a corrective to the various liturgies that vie for our hearts each and every day (and in many ways have already captured them). Smith walks through the particulars of worship practices rooted in the history and the practice of the Church and in the end makes a case for ecclesial universities that connect the classroom with the worship practices of the Church, as the original question in the opening of his book asks, "what is a Christian education for?"

I'm not yet fully formed on Smith's perspective on the pursuit of building ecclesial universities. While it seems neither to be in Smith's heart nor writing, I wonder if the logical end of forming these kind of schools stands to become sectarian and "anti-cultural," despite Smith writing explicitly against this end. Overall, an amazing and provocative book to get us to think about the things we participate in each and every day that end up capturing our hearts and shaping our lives, sometimes in harmful ways but also to give us a vision for how we "counter" these particular and powerful heart-shaping influences.

The Fabric of Faithfulness, by Steven Garber

Well, what better way to start off reporting on some of my reading than by sharing from Steven Garber, a man who will be one of my primary mentors through the D.Min. program? The premise of The Fabric of Faithfulness is so simple, the goal of the book so clear, the vision, … stunning. Originally this book was written in 1996 to a university audience. In fact, the subtitle in the original edition was Weaving Together Life and Belief During the University Years; however, the book received such a wide readership over the next decade, that the "re-title" in 2006 left out the "During the University Years." What does it mean to give to a young person the tools to connect his presuppositions about life to life and behavior? First of all, what does it mean to give to that young person a worldview that is rich and complex enough to help anchor him in truth in an ever-changing, pluralistic, cynical and broken world? Next, what will it take to find “mentors” who have embodied the connection between worldview convictions, behavior and life? Finally, having observed those who have done this, what does it mean to live among friends and peers who have this same vision of life and conviction that life in this world that God has made is so profoundly meaningful and full of moral goodness, the pursuit of a “good life” as Garber puts it. 


Being in a church that has many university students, I was struck with the amazing privilege we have at Grace Chapel to influence young people, to encourage them to form “habits of the heart” at a time when they will be setting off into the world either to do something “meaningful” with their lives or simply to pursue fame, achievement and riches for their own sakes. Do we spend time understanding our education to be more than a “passport to privilege”? Do we see at the heart of true education, “moral formation” and the rigorous work of cultivating virtue? This was an extremely challenging book to me for a couple of reasons: 1) as said, our congregation is filled with college students, yet how myopic can I as a pastor can get at times, wondering how the “bills” are going to be paid? Instead, how I need to be reminded that our church continues to have a profound stewardship opportunity to invest in young people and to give to them a “moral vision” for life, that what they choose to “do” matters terribly and 2) to think about my own life as an almost-forty-year-old person, to wonder, … having “passed” those “critical years of moral formation,” where I am today. Where has integration and moral formation (or lack thereof) brought me to this point in life? What are the "habits of the heart" formed in my youth that continue to define my life today?

Why the Pursuit of a "D.Min."?

Of course, the irony is not lost on me that the name of my new degree program (Doctor of Ministry) is sometimes abbreviated to "D.Min." Sound it out! and you are likely to wonder, what is this guy who lives on Diablo Dr., wears "Mephisto" shoes and has been said to have somewhat of a devilish grin, ... what is he doing now pursuing a D.Min.??? Well, these were the reasons I gave to Covenant Theological Seminary ...

For years, I have been very interested in questions regarding cultural engagement.  I have led three different “shepherding” groups at our church over the last six years, seeking to see elders raised up in our rather young church.  Some titles we’ve engaged are: 1) Far as the Curse is Found, by M. Williams; 2) Christ and Culture by Niehbur; 3) Resident Aliens by Willimon and Hauweras and most recently 4) Deep Church by Jim Belcher.

Furthermore, books that have impacted me this last year and more recently are: The Rebirth of Orthodoxy by Thomas Oden, The Biography of Cornelius Van Til by John Muether as well as To Change the World by James Davison Hunter.  In Muether’s book, p. 66, he quotes Reformed giant J. Gresham Machen who said these words in his opening address at the opening of Westminster Seminary:

... But we cannot consent to impoverish our message by setting forth less than what we find the Scripture to contain; and we believe that we shall best serve our fellow-Christians, from whatever church they may come, if we set forth not some vague common measure among various creeds, but that great historic Faith that has come through Augustine and Calvin to our own Presbyterian Church.  Glorious is the heritage of the Reformed Faith.  God grant that it may go forth to new triumphs even in the present time of unbelief!

These words struck deeply because I love the Reformed Faith.  Yet, I have grown so deeply over the last ten years of our new church, a church that draws from a variety of traditions and backgrounds.  I celebrated Thomas Oden’s joy when he spoke of a renewal of orthodoxy in mainline traditions that had long ago seemed to be “dead” or apostate.  I so appreciated Tim Keller getting me to think about C.S. Lewis’ “hallway” and seeing the commonality we hold with “mere Christians.”  I was drawn to Belcher’s “Deep Well” illustration of drawing people to the “top tier” of the Gospel and then using discipleship as the tool by which we narrow the focus a bit and seek to train people up in the “bottom tier” of our particular tradition.

Yet, after ten years of having planted and pastored a PCA church, while I celebrate the number of theological students we have trained up, and while I know that our church has had a broad reach, especially to young people sent from us to serve the Lord throughout the world, … yet I wonder two things in particular: 1) how many people have we truly influenced for the Reformed Faith? but also, … 2) is our particular tradition (Reformed) worth fighting for as much as the celebration of historical orthodoxy/“mere Christianity” that so many of our people have come to love and embrace, celebrate and live for, even though sometimes remaining thoughtful Arminians, Baptists, Lutherans and even dispensationalists?  Many have come through our doors over the last ten years, some have been “converted” to the Reformed Faith, yet others have remained with their particular traditions, … yet continue to think well of Grace Chapel (our church), whether they stay or pursue a tradition that more readily identifies with their theological convictions.

What does it mean to celebrate the catholicity of the church, all the while standing firm and rejoicing in a particular tradition (in my case, Reformed)?  And how does this celebration of both work itself out in the life of the local church?  Because, ultimately the question impacts the mission of the Church.  Why?  Didn’t Jesus say something about the world knowing we’re His by the love we have for one another?  How we relate to one another, despite the plurality of traditions represented in the American church, directly impacts the credibility of our message to a watching world.  Doesn’t it?  To borrow from Davison Hunter’s language, what is “Faithful Presence”?  What is it for us as we look towards not only the world that God so loved, but to the right and the left to the various expressions of the Bride He so loved as well?  I’m hoping the D.Min. program can help me grapple further with these questions.  

"Third Phase" of Hsu Bloggy Blog

Originally, I began the Hsu Bloggy Blog to give my congregation updates on how my summer preaching sabbatical was going back in the summer of 2008. Before long, the blog morphed into more of a site documenting the needs of the Haitian people, also that of my various travels to Haiti as well as that of Grace Chapel people.

While I will continue to blog about Haiti, especially when I travel to Haiti, I do believe it's time for the blog to turn to a "third phase." Now that Gene Summerlin has started a Facebook page for Grace Chapel Haiti: GC Haiti Facebook and has also become Grace Chapel's new Haiti Ministries Coordinator (e-mail: gene@gracepca.com), I will shift the attention of my blog to work I am doing on a Doctor of Ministry program at Covenant Theological Seminary (CTS). As I read my books and input journal entries, I will try to document some of that work on the blog, for those who might be interested in my travels through the program.

The program I am pursuing at CTS has an emphasis called "Faith-Vocation-Culture" and seeks to explore the various ways Christians have sought to engage the world; the role of faith as it informs the "things God has given us to do" (our vocation or "vocations"); and how the world means to be "kept" and influenced as a result.

Onto the "third phase"!

GC Haiti Facebook and E-mail List

Grace Chapel’s Haiti ministry now has an e-mail group and its own Facebook page. If you’d like to stay up to date with GC’s activities in Haiti, subscribe to the e-mail group by sending an e-mail to: gracechapelhaiti-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.  If you want to post a message to the list, you can do so by e-mailing to gracechapelhaiti@yahoogroups.com.

You can also join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Grace-Chapel-Haiti/135157726548949 or just search for Grace Chapel Haiti on Facebook. Questions or comments? Contact Grace Chapel's new Haiti Ministries Coordinator Gene Summerlin at gene@gracepca.com.

Gene Summerlin Update on Political Situation in Haiti and Status of Medical Trips

[from Gene Summerlin, Dec. 18th]

Writing this email makes me sad. I should be in Mirebalais, Haiti, right now making sure our team is packed up and ready to head home after running seven days of medical clinics. Instead, I'm in Lincoln. Last week's rioting in Port au Prince caused American Airlines to cancel all flights into and out of Haiti and left us freezing in Nebraska instead of sweating in Mirebalais. This is our third medical team in a row that got derailed (October team cancellation, November Hurricane and December riots). We’ve had a great run over the past few years in avoiding cancellations, so I guess the odds finally caught up with us. The medical supplies that you generously made donations for are packed and ready to go. (Here's a picture of my date night with Terri last week sorting and packing meds. You can tell it’s a date night because Terri has a glass of wine in her hand and a big smile on her face.)

We are working on scheduling another medical trip, but Haiti's current political situation remains a bit unstable.  Here’s a quick rundown on Haiti politics.  Haiti’s Conseil Electoral Provisoire (CEP) is a committee selected by the sitting Haitian President.  The CEP runs elections in Haiti (e.g., determines who is a qualified candidate, counts votes, announces the winners, etc.)  The three primary candidates for President were Celestin (the current administration’s preferred candidate and current President Preval's future son-in-law), Manigat (a former first-lady and law professor) and Martelly (a popular Haitian singer).  Celestin has almost no support outside of Haiti’s elite.  Manigat and Martelly both have a large popular following with older voters leaning towards Manigat and younger voters supporting Martelly. In Haiti, all qualified presidential candidates run in the general election (there were 18 candidates in the Nov. 28 election), but a candidate has to obtain 50% of the vote to take office (insert your own Bush v. Gore joke here).  Since there are usually so many candidates in the general election, no single candidate gets the required 50% of the vote and the top two candidates participate in a January run-off election.  Following the November 28th vote, the more than 5,000 NOP international election monitors announced that Manigat and Martelly were the top two candidates with Celestin a distant third.  No big surprise there.  However, a few days later, the CEP announced its stunning preliminary results which dropped Martelly to third and put Celestin and Manigat in the run-off.  That started the riots. 

No question exists that the Nov. 28 election was rife with significant problems. International election observers and journalists presented credible evidence of intimidation, ballot box stuffing and voters being turned away at the polls.  That is, however, the norm for Haiti. But Celestin's 2nd place finish goes far beyond a hanging chad or two.  It is the equivalent of George W. Bush sweeping an election in Berkeley, California, or Nancy Pelosi trouncing an incumbent Republican in Plano, Texas. It just wouldn't happen. It couldn't happen and if someone claimed that it did happen, we wouldn't believe them.  That is what caused the riots.  The CEP's placement of Celestin in the runoff caused the people of Haiti to lose all confidence that the election process was fair or reflected the will of the voters. 

Our problem is that the CEP is now struggling with how to deal with their current situation.  The official announcement of the Nov. 28th election result is due on December 20th.  Unless the CEP completely reverses course, we think that additional civil unrest is likely to occur following the Dec. 20th announcement. The run-off election is scheduled for January 16. The result of that election could result in additional rioting. We greatly appreciate the time and sacrifice that our medical partners and their families make when physicians and nurses come with us to Haiti and we do not want to do anything that will jeopardize their safety. So, we have to wait. We have put together tentative schedules for January, February and March trips, but our plans are subject to the reality of the situation on the ground. Ultimately, we know that this is in God's hands and we trust and pray that we will be able to get our people and our supplies to Haiti as quickly as possible.

Thanks again for the support you have provided to us in the past and please pray that we will be able to get back into Mirebalais as quickly as possible.

Haiti Team Trip Cancelled for Now

The Grace Chapel medical trip that was scheduled to leave for Mirebalais this week was cancelled due to the unrest currently in Haiti.  The anxiety has been caused by the belief of many that the election was rigged by the ruling government coalition.  Please continue to be in prayer for Haiti as well as the re-scheduling of this trip.  Thank you for all your prayers and support for the Haitian People.


Also, please see this wonderful post written about GCA Director Brian Kelso by Reformed Seminary professor Mike Milton: http://mikemilton.org/2010/11/25/my-friend-who-walked-through-the-valley-of-death/

Please Pray for Medical Team Leaving Saturday

Please pray for a small group of Grace Chapel people who will be joining a larger group from Vanderbilt medical school.  Gene Summerlin, Deb Knight, Al and Mary Halls will leave this Saturday Dec. 11th and return to Lincoln Dec. 18th.  They will be serving in Mirebalais to further the work of GCA's medical ministry.

Update on Funding of the Mirebalais Clinic

As of today, we have received pledges of $66,000 for the building of the clinic! and we still have others who have expressed significant interest in getting involved.  Our total funding goal for this project is $105,000.  We are hoping to break ground on the clinic very soon.  This is an exciting time.  Please keep praying for the funds to come in so we can build the clinic and get more needed medical help to the people of Haiti.

This was my post from the summer when we started raising funds for the clinic: http://hsumike.blogspot.com/2010/07/building-medical-clinic-in-mirebalais.html

Update on Frank and Brian Surgeries

Here's an update from Brian Kelso on recent surgeries that he and Frank Maiorana underwent.  Frank injured his knee when we were in Mirebalais back in Feb., doing relief work together.


Mike

Hey Everybody,

I just talked with Karen and Frank’s knee surgery went very well. There was no damage to the ACL and the doctor cleaned up the knee and corrected some damaged areas. This is great news. Please continue to pray for Frank and his recovery (remember to pray for Karen too – she might need it more – trying to keep the “big dog” down for a couple of weeks.

My surgery this morning went excellent. The doctor removed the metal fixator (sp) from my right foot/leg. After surgery I was immediately walking with crutches. I praise God for this new stage of my recovery. I feel great. My goal is to dance on New Year’s Eve (and being such a bad dancer prior to my illness – no one will know the difference).

I continually thank God for His provisions to us. This has been a difficult Fall by the Lord has seen us through every situation. I want to again thank everyone who has helped us through this time. God is continually to bless us even though “we walk with a limp.”

I believe that we have striven with God and with men and have prevailed, we have seen God face to face, yet our life has been preserved. The Lord has touched our lives for His glory and even our infirmities (walking with a limp) bring Him glory and will bring Him glory all the days of our lives!


Genesis 32

24 Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.  25 When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob's thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him.  26 Then he said, "Let me go, for the dawn is breaking." But he said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."  27 So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob."  28 He said, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.”  29 Then Jacob asked him and said, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And he blessed him there.  30 So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, "I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved."  31 Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over Peniel, and he was limping on his thigh.


Expecting Great Things from God,

Brian Kelso
 

Brian Kelso's First Sunday Back at CCC

His message is "The Valley of the Shadow of Death".  You will be deeply impacted by this video:

http://www.christcovenant.cc/media/videos/index.html 

Prayer and Need of Dec. Haiti Medical Team

A medical team made up of three med students from Wake Forest, plus Dr. Al Halls, Mary Halls, Deb Knight and Gene Summerlin will be headed to Haiti Dec. 11th-18th.  Since Grace Chapel has been given administrative oversight of GCA’s medical teams, one of our goals is to make sure that we are providing consistent medical support to the children within GCA’s care.  Currently, that includes 23 children attending GCA’s school in Mirebalais, 16 children at the orphanage in Sodo (just west of Mirebalais), and 25 children at Tutu’s orphanage (just east of Mirebalais). During the spring and summer months, medical teams come down on a fairly regular basis.  However, from August through March, far fewer teams travel to Haiti, and we want to make a focused effort to ensure that we don’t let our medical care drop off during the winter.

The primary goals of this team are threefold:  First, we will be creating initial medical records with pictures, heights, weights, and dates of birth for the kids at all three locations.  Second, we will be administering dewormer to all the kids at all three locations in addition to regular medical exams and treatment.  In places like Haiti, intestinal worms constitute a long term and chronic risk for children and the poor.  These infections can negatively affect all aspects of a child’s development: health, nutrition, cognitive development, learning and educational achievement.  Fortunately, the treatment is simple and cost-effective.  Finally, we will bring additional medical supplies with us to restock GCA’s medical inventory.  If time allows, we will also run a field clinic at a refugee camp where GCA has been providing food and water about halfway between Mirebalais and Cange.

We initially had a medical team scheduled to be on the ground in Mirebalais in late September, but that team had to cancel at the last minute.  As a result, this team was assembled very quickly and with very little opportunity to engage in advance fund raising.  We really need people to pitch in to help us cover the costs of medical supplies and pharmaceuticals.  Craig Moore is currently going through our list of existing inventory and making recommendations for additional drugs to purchase.  Given the possibility that the current cholera outbreak could fester for years, we will also be bringing in IV fluids, tubes and needles and Oral Rehydration Solution.  Finally, as always, what we need most of all is prayer – for the people of Haiti, for the GCA support staff and for the team members and their families.


If you are interested in helping out financially or otherwise with the team, please contact Gene Summerlin at gene@osolaw.com or send checks to:


Grace Chapel
December Haiti Medical Team
4000 Sheridan Blvd.
Lincoln, NE 68506
402.484.8555
office@gracepca.com

E-mail Update from Brian Kelso

Here's an e-mail I received from Brian Kelso earlier today:


Mike,

Hey man – it’s me! I’ve been home for two weeks and getting a little stronger each day. I using a wheelchair for now but hopefully I’ll be walking by the end of the year. All my organs have recovered. I’ve lost a lot of weight so I need to build up my body, do my physical therapy and go to doctor appointments. Please tell everybody how much I appreciate their love and prayers! All the doctors call me the “miracle man” and I remind them that God preserved me for His glory!

GCA is going great. I has been a blessing to see how everyone has stepped up. Everything is moving forward.

Thank you so much for your partnership with GCA.

Expecting great things from God,

Brian

Brian Kelso Update

Brian is recovering from Tuesday afternoon's surgery on his right foot.  He is doing well and is in good spirits but is sedated for pain.  The surgeon was pleased with the surgery -- a partial amputation.  The surgeon believes that Brian will be able to return to the normal active lifestyle similar to what he had before this malaria so aggressively infected his body.  He will continue to the hyperbaric chamber, dialysis treatments and physical therapy.  Brian is showing great contentment during this trial.  Let us continue to pray for his healing and comfort after this surgery.  Also, praise God that Brian's kidneys continue to slowly but steadily improve.

Brian Kelso Update

Just received this update from GCA:

Brian is doing quite well, his kidneys are slowly starting to work again.  He'll have surgery today on his feet. Only during surgery will the surgeon know the extent of what has to be done. They will remove the dead skin and hope that there is good skin underneath. He will lose some toes but is very content with whatever the end result.  Brian's faith is strong through all of this, and it has affected all those around him: nurses, staff, dr's, friends and family.

Brian Kelso Update

Brian is currently doing OK.  He has been sick to his stomach somewhat from all the medication (very constipated).  Although the Dr. is very hopeful his kidneys will come back they still are not working.  We may know soon whether they have to amputate some of his feet/toes as a result of the gangrene.  Keep praying for Brian!

60 Minutes Clip on Haiti with Pastor Moise Vaval

This was a 60 minutes clip that aired last March and was previously posted. I've re-posted it since I refer to Pastor Moise Vaval's story in my sermon today.  If you want to listen to the message, it will be posted here: http://gracepca.com/index.php/sermons/ .  The message is entitled, "Our Prevailing Triumph and the Life of Service".

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Brian Kelso Continues to Need Our Prayers

Brian will remain in the ICU for awhile, but the docs think he will recover full organ function.  However, he has devloped gangrene in his feet.  He has already lost a toe and there is a possibility that he might lose his right foot. His attitude is great but he can still use our prayers.

Brian Kelso Update

Brian is doing well. He slept through the night and his breathing is normal. It has been 24 hours since Brian received his last pain meds.  His platelet levels are improving up from 40,000 to over 90,000.  Brian thanks everybody for all their help and prayers.  

Kelso Update, ... Good News

Brian has finally started to show significant improvement.  His platelet count is at 40,000 and since he hasn't had any recent transfusions, the physicians are confident that Brian's body is once again producing and retaining platelets.  Brian is starting to eat again.  He still has the feeding tube, but if he continues to eat, they will remove it.  Swelling is going down and Brian's liver function is improving.

Brian Kelso and Kim Rodriguez Updates

Brian Kelso is currently receiving nutrients from a feeding tube and is not getting worse.  But he is also not seeing improvement either.  Brian continues to need our prayers for progress and improvement.  Test results came back negative on Dengue fever, so Brian is primarily battling malaria at this point.

Kim Rodriguez was released from the hospital without any indication of heart problems (praise God).  The issue seems to be neuro-muscular at this point.  Keep praying for Kim as well.

Brian Kelso Update

Brian's malaria count is 0.01, the lowest it's been. While that is a source of great hope, the doctors are still greatly concerned for his overall health and recovery. Even though the disease seems to be in decline, it has had a week to wreck havoc on Brian’s organs. Brian remains in critical condition. Even though his malaria count is down, he has not made any further improvement, so we need to continue in fervent prayer.  Also remember to pray for Brian's wife Barbara and sons Caleb and Josh who are undergoing tremendous stress right now.

Pray for Great Commission Alliance

Brian Kelso remains stable and will continue on dialysis today.  Also, this morning Kim Rodriguez, the wife of GCA’s Administrator Leo Rodriguez, was taken to the hospital by ambulance with chest pains.  Please keep the entire organization in your prayers. Our friends at GCA are currently undergoing a time of severe testing. Our Sovereign King will continue to uphold and sustain His people, but they need our prayers.

Brian Kelso Update

Bryan's fever is not getting any worse, which is good news.  They had to put him on dialysis earlier today to help his kidney function.  Keep praying. 

Update on Brian Kelso Today, Keep Praying!

Brian’s fever broke last night. He still isn’t out of the woods, but for the first time since he was admitted he isn’t getting worse.  Keep praying.
  

Please Pray for Brian Kelso!

On Monday, Brian Kelso, Great Commission Alliance's executive director and the pastor at Christ Covenant Church in Fort Lauderdale, was hospitalized in Miami with Dengue Fever, Malaria and Pneumonia.  The next 24-48 hours are critical. The elders at Christ Cov are assembling the congregation tomorrow (Sept. 2nd) at 6pm Nebraska time to pray for Brian, his wife, Barbara, and his sons Caleb and Josh.  Please take a few moments now and over the next few days to pray for Brian and his family.

"Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord."  -James 5:14