Therefore I go…

How often do we desire to serve the Lord in a particular way and yet, the Lord has a ministry in mind which puts our desires on hold? The desire to serve the Lord is to be commended. But we must be careful not to put our own desired way of serving on a pedestal. Being a third generation pilot I have a particular bent toward serving the Lord through aviation. But I cannot rightly pass by opportunities to serve now in the hopes of serving as a missionary pilot. Put another way, I cannot in good conscience put on blinders, ignoring the needs that surround me, in an effort to become a missionary pilot sooner.

Over the past few years there have been ample ways for me to serve locally. I have continued to serve with a local Spanish speaking church, I have become more involved in a men’s group at an English speaking church that I attend, and I have volunteered to help with the property maintenance at both churches. I also continue to discuss faith in Christ with the folks I work with and meet through my other volunteer activities. Currently the Lord has blessed me with the opportunity to start the flight training toward my instrument rating. If I give up all extra spending, barring any unforeseen bills, I will be able to attain my instrument and commercial ratings in the next 18 months. This is the necessary next step toward mission aviation and is truly a desire fulfilled. As the Bible says, this is a blessing to me “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” – Proverbs 13:12 (ESV)

I cannot know the future or how close I’ll get to being that missionary pilot that I’ve set my sights on. I can, however, be certain that the Lord will bless me for being involved and not turning my back on the ministry opportunities that abound here and now. The servants in the parable of the talents had no idea that there was further blessing waiting for them if they did well with the talents given to them. But thanks to their responses, we know that those who are faithful in a little will be given more responsibility and further opportunities for blessings (Matthew 25:14-23). I pray that the Lord will bless me with the opportunity to serve as a missionary pilot, I pray that he will grant me the necessary funds both to stay on top of my current bills and debts and to fund my flight training each month, and I pray that the Lord will grant me many opportunities to serve him and be blessed by helping to grow the Kingdom of God here on earth. I pray also that the Lord might show each of you ways to serve here and now, as well as showing you ways to serve in an even greater capacity in your future.

God bless you, Dios te bendiga
Ben

It has been a month of discovering ways to serve God and show Christ’s love to others.  I have listened as my parents discussed how they have been blessed with their health.  There were moments of true joy as I helped folks at work solve problems or questions.  The lawn at our church building needed a bit of my serving before the rains came this week.  One of my African friends needed transport and shopping assistance while he visits the Acton University in Grand Rapids.  Then I was also able to talk to several people this month about the Bible and the values I learn from God’s Word.

There have been a few instances this month, however, when serving The Lord and showing Christ’s love have not come easy for me.   You probably caught on that I tend to show Christ’s love by serving others.  So you can probably imagine that it does not come easy for me to show Christ’s love by allowing others to serve me.  This month, however, I’ve had a few opportunities to do just that.

Most of us have heard the old adage that it is more blessed to give than to receive.  But to receive is to allow others to store up treasures in heaven.  In Philippians 4:10-20 Paul thanks God for those who served him and is careful to say, “I don’t say this because I want a gift from you.  Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness (Phil 4:17).”

Our Lord and Savior modeled receiving with blessing when he was anointed at Bethany.  His response to the woman who anointed him was to say, “I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed (Mark 14:9).”  Though it is not easy for one such as me, who shows Christ’s love by serving others, we should make every effort to receive good gifts from others graciously.  We should not rob them of their blessing by refusing a gift or help, but rather we should allow them to store up treasures in heaven.

Please pray:

– that I would continue to serve faithfully with Iglesia Bautista Biblica until I move on to serve internationally

– that my Sunday school students will all one day express faith in Christ

– that I am able to bless my fellow Civil Air Patrol members as I serve God, serve my community, and gain valuable knowledge for serving as a missionary through CAP

– that I will continue to share my faith and God’s Word with my coworkers at Best Metal Products

– that we would all recognize those moments when we can be a greater blessing and show God’s love most by simply receiving from others what they generously offer

As I look forward to the Thanksgiving holiday later this month I have been reflecting on my own sense of gratitude.  How often do we receive blessings from the Lord and move on immediately to pray for further blessing without a thought to thank the Lord for what he has already done for us?

One great blessing of teaching Sunday school is that I am learning the whole time that I am preparing for the class.  Last Sunday I talked with my Sunday school students about giving thanks to God.  While I prepared for the lesson the Lord was working on my heart.  All too often the question above applies to me.  I am happy to receive blessings from God, but quick to move on without a single prayer of thanksgiving.  This Thanksgiving holiday let’s remember the source for all of the blessings and provision in our life.  Join me in praising God for the blessings of food, family, and friends.  Let us heed the lament of Psalm 107:8-9 and consider how it applies to ourselves, rather than thinking of others who might not be giving thanks to the Lord.

“Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.” – Psalm 107:8-9

Please also join me in thanking the Lord for the blessing of the Wilsons, who are planning to take over for some friends of mine, the Pearsons, in their flying ministry in the Darwin region of Australia. I have included links on this page to the Wycliffe pages for both couples, where you can learn more about them and how you can prayerfully and financially support them. Pray that God will bless the Wilsons with wisdom and provision as they prepare for the mission field. Please also pray that the Lord will guide me as I prepare for full time missions in the Northern parts of Australia.

Prayer requests:

• The Lord’s guidance in choosing where specifically to serve
• The Lord’s provision for the remaining debt from my ministry degree
• Patience and wisdom as I work toward my instrument and commercial pilot ratings
• Above all pray for opportunities to share the Gospel of Christ’s salvation here and now; through my Sunday school class, the Civil Air Patrol, at my job, and everywhere in between.

In my possession is a very important piece of paper.  On January 30, 2014 I went to Cornerstone University to pick up my diploma.  I now have a Master of Arts degree in Intercultural Ministry from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary!  The degree represents much sacrifice of time and money.  But like a traveler changing planes, the completion of one leg of this journey also represents changes in my life.  First and foremost the Master’s degree represented a shift from focusing on myself to focusing on doing what is needed and going where is necessary to serve the Lord.  Now, receiving the degree represents a change toward preparing for the aviation component of my planned ministry.

This week I should be wrapping up my initial training with the Civil Air Patrol.  The Grand Rapids Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol offers a place where I can serve my community and country, all the while being trained to better serve the Lord through aviation.  I will continue to work as an engineer at Best Metal Products.  I will also continue to serve at Iglesia Bautista Biblica, where God has found me a church home that helps me grow in ministry experience in a multi-cultural setting.

How great the Father’s love, that in these few short years he has granted me salvation in Christ, knowledge of his Word through my newly minted degree, and a current ministry in which to use that knowledge now.  His blessings continue for me in a group of faithful family and friends who have supported and encouraged me from the day I first chose to accept the salvation offered through Christ.

That Thursday a few weeks back when I picked up my diploma lacked the fanfare that is due this moment.  Having just explained in part the importance of this degree, I must also mention that a celebration is coming.  This spring Grand Rapids Theological Seminary will hold a commencement ceremony.  We shall attempt at that ceremony to give the occasion of earning our degrees the proper fanfare and celebration that such an occasion warrants.  More info will be coming about the commencement, so keep an eye on your e-mails, mailboxes, and this website.

May the blessings of the Lord Jesus Christ be forever yours,

Ben

The Lord provided greatly for me the entire time I was in Australia. His provision certainly continued on the flight home. I was a bit late arriving to the Southwest gate in California, but the folks at Southwest took good care of me and got my luggage and me onto flights back to Chicago. Granted, we weren’t on the same flight, but we were on flights! While I waited for my luggage to arrive in Chicago I was granted some time to talk with and witness to a man at one of the eateries in Midway airport.

Over the past fortnight since my return I have had moments of impatience with traffic, with people, with Fedex, and even with the weather. But as I look back on my trip, I am reminded of that chance to witness. If I had my druthers, I would have made every connection on time. God had plans for my delayed travels, however, which I had no way of seeing. My prayer for each of us is that we will not grow impatient with the delays in our lives. Rather, I hope that the Lord will show us the way he is using our perceived delay. I pray that we will not spit and sputter at what we see as inconvenience, but instead I pray that we will be looking for where God might be wanting to use us through his changes to our plans.

The sun is setting on my time in Australia. God has blessed me greatly in my time here. In a month’s time I have made many new friends and visited most of the people I hope one day to serve with as a missionary pilot. I’ve made stops in four of the seven states of Australia, witnessing the beauty of the geographical diversity that makes up this continent.

What’s more, the contrast of the verdant pastures of the South, the dry, salt bush laden deserts of the center, and the tropical forests of North will always serve to remind me of the diversity in the cultures of this country. I have visited with a South African, attended church with English men and women, I flew with a missionary pilot from Northern Ireland, worked on a MAF hangar with a Canadian, and bunked with and witnessed to a Frenchman and two Japanese men. But that diversity is no match for the diversity of the languages represented by the Indigenous Australians. With an estimated 400 languages with no known Bible translation in progress, the greatest diversity in Australia may well be the diverse tribal languages. After visiting Australia and seeing firsthand the need for methods and people to aid in Bible translation, I will continue in the coming years to seek the Lord’s guidance as I prepare to serve in the tribal villages of The Top End and in the skies above them. And so, the short term goal is confirmed. But the long term goal, as Paul says, is that “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:14)

What do you do when your plans don’t come to fruition? That question cropped up in my mind again this morning as we had morning devotions at the Mission Aviation Fellowship hangar at Gove airport in Arnhem Land. At the end of the message we read Colossians 3:23; “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men”. Though I have a desire to serve the Lord through a mission project with JAARS, Wycliffe, and AuSIL in a few years, I often consider that my plans may not come to fruition, at least not my detailed plans.

Occasionally, as this morning, I need a reminder of what my true plans are. My true plans are to serve the Lord and follow his will, working heartily for him in whatever I do. Perhaps I will be a missionary pilot for JAARS, perhaps for MAF, perhaps I’ll not be a missionary pilot at all, or perhaps I will remain an engineer until the day I retire. As the passage says, we don’t even know what our life will be like tomorrow! (See James 4:13-17)

We can always know that we are doing the will of the Lord if we “do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col. 3:17). Wherever God places you and whatever your vocation or career, you can know you are doing the Lord’s will if you minister to those placed in your life and if you “work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ” (Col. 3:23-24).

The Lord blessed me greatly through my travels from Sydney to Darwin. I awoke early on Sunday to go to the airport and catch a flight to Adelaide. On that flight I had the joy of sitting with two young women, one from Australia and the other from Germany. It was quite interesting talking to these two cousins about their world travels and my own.

It was great fun to discuss with them the differences between the places we live and why we’ve travelled to the places we’ve been. But it was a greater joy to discuss with them the different languages we speak and the cultures we come from. Mostly because that conversation gave me a chance to share with them the ministry I hope to be doing in Australia; helping others of various languages and cultures to worship God in their own unique way.

I pray that God might help those women to use their love of world travel to spread the Gospel. No matter where we find ourselves, on a plane, a train, the school bus, or half way around the world, we are called to proclaim the Gospel of Christ crucified and our sins forgiven. How amazing that the same message can be equally effective for someone with a passport and airline ticket or someone walking down the streets of their own little town.

Today I did some of the touristy things which people are expected to do in Sydney, Australia.  I walked over to see the Sydney Opera House, strolled around the Sydney Botanical Gardens, and visited the Sydney Museum.  Those sights were all truly brilliant and are well worth a visit if you’re ever in the area.

Woven into the fabric of my day, the Lord has included a chance to visit with a local Sydney ministry, time to share about faith and Christian living with a few folks on the Sydney streets, and a time of fellowship, learning, and prayer with several of the people from St. Andrews once back in Roseville.  Like the gold thread which was once used in the tapestries of old, these times of learning, ministry, and prayer may not have made up the whole fabric of my day, but they were certainly the highlights.

The past few days have been an amazing time of witnessing.  Both witnessing to others with my story, and of witnessing God’s provision and providence.  The people at Wycliffe, Kangaroo Ground were a wealth of knowledge.  Many have spent years up in Darwin and Arnhem Land, where I hope to serve one day.  Some have worked and interacted with people I know.  Some were serving in Papua New Guinea with Randall Pearson who has been a great help in guiding me toward missionary work with JAARS.  Still others know Nevin Urey, who is a constant source of inspiration toward serving in Australia.  And all of the people I met at Wycliffe Australia were a great help in providing me housing, transport, food, and fellowship.  The Lord provided for me greatly through these people.  Undoubtedly he also planned for me to be in Kangaroo Ground at a time when many present would know the people I hope one day to work with.

 Greater still has been the blessing of sharing my own faith and story of salvation with others.  Some I witnessed to were fellow Christians, others were just people I met on the street, in the planes, on the train, or on the buses.  The Lord puts people next to me who, first and foremost, I enjoy talking with.  Because the Lord’s guidance and provision have been so prominent in these first four years of my saved life, God’s works in my life just seem to intertwine with the tapestry of any conversation I have over here.  Please pray that this continues and that discussion of the Lord becomes natural to me, to the point that anyone I come in contact with learns of the Father who loves all of us and provides for the salvation of each of us.