Dear friends and family of faith in America,
Like much of the world, we've been watching the news coming out of the USA in the past few weeks and months. As we scroll through Facebook news feeds and gain glimpses into the thoughts and feelings of our dear ones and their reactions to recent events (racial tensions, the Supreme Court's recent ruling, the undercover interviews with Planned Parenthood going public, and even the New Yorker article regarding the threat of "The Big One" destroying western Washington, Oregon, and Northern California and the news of forest fires in Western Washington), we've had frozen fingers over the keyboards. What do we write? What can we say? Honestly, our life here seems quite far removed from these news events, but that doesn't mean they don't affect us - that they won't affect us.
We've been talking about it this week as we walk in the evening through the neighborhood streets with roaming dogs as our companions and the regular interruptions of smiling to our neighbors and attempting to communicate honor and respect and love in a culture that is foreign to us.
What would we say if we were in our home town receiving this news in your presence? How would we respond if conversations about these topics came up at a coffee shop? At church? Over a family dinner? Walking the lake with a friend?
Obviously, we won't be in those exact circumstances, but as we've discussed how we should respond via long distance, this is what we've realized:
What a privilege we are experiencing.
What a privilege it is to be alive today. To identify as a Christian today. To seek to follow Jesus today.
What an INCREDIBLE privilege it is to be alive when the world might seem to be going completely mad. How special is it that we get to truly test our faith? To explore these topics earnestly looking to Scriptures as our guide?
We get to decide for ourselves what it means to US, individually, to risk our reputation, our social standing, our popularity, our influence, our "fan club" (so to speak) in order to stand firmly for what we believe the Bible says is true.
We get to decide what it looks like for each of us to take up our burdens - the very burdens that seem like they might destroy us - and follow Jesus. We have countless opportunities to respond to harsh words with sweet words in an effort to turn away wrath. We have moments in which we get to decide if we want to respond with a heart that blesses those that curse us, seeking the best for those that oppose us, and desires good for those that seek to inconvenience, undermine, or slander us.
We have the privilege of following a person that didn't seek to be popular.
And in the midst of growing uncertainty and chaos and scandal, we have the privilege of knowing that our government might rise and fall, our physical world might collapse and crumble around us, we might witness atrocities beyond our worst nightmares, and we might see the members of our nation seeking to destroy each other, but we have the privilege of worshipping, serving, trusting, communing with, and chasing after a God that knows us by name, is constantly working to turn us more into his likeness, and lives among us as "The Comforter."
If you're wondering what we would have to say about these recent events, this is it.
We are privileged. The two of us living under this roof are astounded at the honor we have been granted.
Our earnest prayer for you - for our churches, for our fellow Christ-followers - is that we all would be filled with the knowledge that we have been placed on the earth for such a time as this, and that we would live accordingly, in a way that brings honor and glory to the character of our Heavenly Father.
We love you and are praying for you every day.
Gabe and Danie get to decide what it looks like for each of us to take up our burdens - the very burdens that seem like they might destroy us - and follow Jesus. We have countless opportunities to respond to harsh words with sweet words in an effort to turn away wrath. We have moments in which we get to decide if we want to respond with a heart that blesses those that curse us, seeking the best for those that oppose us, and desires good for those that seek to inconvenience, undermine, or slander us.
We have the privilege of following a person that didn't seek to be popular.
And in the midst of growing uncertainty and chaos and scandal, we have the privilege of knowing that our government might rise and fall, our physical world might collapse and crumble around us, we might witness atrocities beyond our worst nightmares, and we might see the members of our nation seeking to destroy each other, but we have the privilege of worshipping, serving, trusting, communing with, and chasing after a God that knows us by name, is constantly working to turn us more into his likeness, and lives among us as "The Comforter."
If you're wondering what we would have to say about these recent events, this is it.
We are privileged. The two of us living under this roof are astounded at the honor we have been granted.
Our earnest prayer for you - for our churches, for our fellow Christ-followers - is that we all would be filled with the knowledge that we have been placed on the earth for such a time as this, and that we would live accordingly, in a way that brings honor and glory to the character of our Heavenly Father.
We love you and are praying for you every day.
Gabe and Dani
Like much of the world, we've been watching the news coming out of the USA in the past few weeks and months. As we scroll through Facebook news feeds and gain glimpses into the thoughts and feelings of our dear ones and their reactions to recent events (racial tensions, the Supreme Court's recent ruling, the undercover interviews with Planned Parenthood going public, and even the New Yorker article regarding the threat of "The Big One" destroying western Washington, Oregon, and Northern California and the news of forest fires in Western Washington), we've had frozen fingers over the keyboards. What do we write? What can we say? Honestly, our life here seems quite far removed from these news events, but that doesn't mean they don't affect us - that they won't affect us.
We've been talking about it this week as we walk in the evening through the neighborhood streets with roaming dogs as our companions and the regular interruptions of smiling to our neighbors and attempting to communicate honor and respect and love in a culture that is foreign to us.
What would we say if we were in our home town receiving this news in your presence? How would we respond if conversations about these topics came up at a coffee shop? At church? Over a family dinner? Walking the lake with a friend?
Obviously, we won't be in those exact circumstances, but as we've discussed how we should respond via long distance, this is what we've realized:
What a privilege we are experiencing.
What a privilege it is to be alive today. To identify as a Christian today. To seek to follow Jesus today.
What an INCREDIBLE privilege it is to be alive when the world might seem to be going completely mad. How special is it that we get to truly test our faith? To explore these topics earnestly looking to Scriptures as our guide?
We get to decide for ourselves what it means to US, individually, to risk our reputation, our social standing, our popularity, our influence, our "fan club" (so to speak) in order to stand firmly for what we believe the Bible says is true.
We get to decide what it looks like for each of us to take up our burdens - the very burdens that seem like they might destroy us - and follow Jesus. We have countless opportunities to respond to harsh words with sweet words in an effort to turn away wrath. We have moments in which we get to decide if we want to respond with a heart that blesses those that curse us, seeking the best for those that oppose us, and desires good for those that seek to inconvenience, undermine, or slander us.
We have the privilege of following a person that didn't seek to be popular.
And in the midst of growing uncertainty and chaos and scandal, we have the privilege of knowing that our government might rise and fall, our physical world might collapse and crumble around us, we might witness atrocities beyond our worst nightmares, and we might see the members of our nation seeking to destroy each other, but we have the privilege of worshipping, serving, trusting, communing with, and chasing after a God that knows us by name, is constantly working to turn us more into his likeness, and lives among us as "The Comforter."
If you're wondering what we would have to say about these recent events, this is it.
We are privileged. The two of us living under this roof are astounded at the honor we have been granted.
Our earnest prayer for you - for our churches, for our fellow Christ-followers - is that we all would be filled with the knowledge that we have been placed on the earth for such a time as this, and that we would live accordingly, in a way that brings honor and glory to the character of our Heavenly Father.
We love you and are praying for you every day.
Gabe and Danie get to decide what it looks like for each of us to take up our burdens - the very burdens that seem like they might destroy us - and follow Jesus. We have countless opportunities to respond to harsh words with sweet words in an effort to turn away wrath. We have moments in which we get to decide if we want to respond with a heart that blesses those that curse us, seeking the best for those that oppose us, and desires good for those that seek to inconvenience, undermine, or slander us.
We have the privilege of following a person that didn't seek to be popular.
And in the midst of growing uncertainty and chaos and scandal, we have the privilege of knowing that our government might rise and fall, our physical world might collapse and crumble around us, we might witness atrocities beyond our worst nightmares, and we might see the members of our nation seeking to destroy each other, but we have the privilege of worshipping, serving, trusting, communing with, and chasing after a God that knows us by name, is constantly working to turn us more into his likeness, and lives among us as "The Comforter."
If you're wondering what we would have to say about these recent events, this is it.
We are privileged. The two of us living under this roof are astounded at the honor we have been granted.
Our earnest prayer for you - for our churches, for our fellow Christ-followers - is that we all would be filled with the knowledge that we have been placed on the earth for such a time as this, and that we would live accordingly, in a way that brings honor and glory to the character of our Heavenly Father.
We love you and are praying for you every day.
Gabe and Dani
