Third quarter
Court addresses the ‘skip the trap’ written on the board
from an earlier lesson or teaching or Sunday school. She tells the room, ‘Don’t
just skip the trap. We are here as a body for a reason. If we’re walking along,
watching out for an attack from the air, how are we supposed to see the pit in
front of us? We are the body of Christ. Here for each other.’ In the middle of
me pacing the front of the room, she grabs my hand and leads me around an
imaginary pit in the middle of the aisle. She then talks about how we need to
get over our desire to be independent and deal with everything on our own, and
accept that God has created us to work together, to speak into each other,
encourage and uplift our brothers and sisters.
While Court is sharing all of this, I’m literally laughing
while standing at the front of the room against the wall. Court finishes up her
play and I jump in with, “So Courtney doesn’t even know this…� From experience,
that is probably not the best way to start off talking to a group of people in
front of your team leader. For me at least, it caused this quick moment of “and
what are they gonna say now?� Trying to talk through some laughter at the
absurdity of this sermon, “Last night I was up until 3am talking about this
exact thing. Teammate #1 gave Teammate #2 a verse that seemed completely off
the wall, completely random and not at all applicable to her life now. I wasn’t
in the conversation, but heard the verse from across the room, and for reason
unbeknownst to me, knew that the
verse applied to Teammate #2. So conversation moved to my side of the room, and
continued on late into the night/morning.
There are a couple of us on the team who find it somewhat
painful when we’re asked to be open and vulnerable. I, personally, would rather
do this thing on my own. I would rather take care of my own stuff, avoid the
‘pit’ on my own and not have anyone else aware of my weaknesses. My weaknesses
are mine. I don’t want someone else to know about them and I don’t want to
admit them to anyone else. I, and a few others, am learning that doesn’t always
work. That’s not how God has it planned for us. Last night I sat in a dark room
(we just left the lights off when electricity went out..and it was easier to
share if we couldn’t see each other). We didn’t like doing it-being vulnerable,
opening up, letting others help us spot the pit or have them guide us around
it. So we sat there, sharing and saying ‘I don’t want to have to say it.’ But
knowing we are her to help each other.
Fourth Quarter
We climb back in a matatu to head back to the church, sit
down next to random Ugandan people and bust out in laughter. “What in the heck
was that?� The pastor traveling with us asks Courtney why we don’t do something
that amazing at the church when we preach? It’s kinda hard to get across the
idea that, even in America, that is not normal. That usually, when someone is
asked to preach a sermon, they prepare for it. Or at least bring a Bible. Or a
notecard. Anything. God spoke. We listened. We spoke it out. When our powers
combine…
Locker Room Talk
Oh yeah, remember the bit about me not being a singer? Yeah.
We asked the teens if they had any questions for us at the end of this tag team
sermon. One girl. One question. “What song are you going to sing for us?� I
made her repeat the question. And then, while laughing, clarified, “Sing? Are
you kidding?� She wasn’t. After at least twenty seconds of laughter, Courtney
and I serenaded the room with “Freedom Reigns.� Delayed half time show.
I recently filled out a ministry information
sheet for our squad’s month in Thailand. The question “Are you bringing all the
equipment you need for ministry with you?� made me laugh. We have our life in a
backpack. That does not include sound system, puppets, medical supplies or
construction materials. My response: What we bring is who we are. We are God’s
children. We are equipped by Him to go out in confidence and boldness. He will
equip those He has called. It doesn’t matter what our ministry is, because
we’re going into it seeking Him. I didn’t want to go to the school Sunday
morning. I was done. Didn’t have anything left. This is what it’s about. Coming
to the end of ourselves and letting Him do His work outside of our agenda, our
idea of ministry, our wants, our desires, our rights. This is what it’s about.
The World Race. Life.
