Hunger Flames

This from Lena:
OK, so the title is totally contrived, but it got you here, right?

An alumni from our Chi Alpha ministry years ago (for those of you who don't know us very well, we cut our ministerial teeth In Chi Alpha Campus Ministries and loved that ministry dearly) just celebrated his birthday.  I found myself thinking about what it was that delighted me so much about this person.  When I comb through the archives of my mind (and Spanish acquisition has diminished them considerably), what sticks out is one of the first times he came to our meetings.

Now, you need to understand that we were Jesus Culture when Jesus Culture wasn't cool.  We were (are!) die-hard Pentecostals.  This does not mean that we jump.  It means that we love the presence of the Holy Spirit, believe that what He brings is worth waiting in the upper room for.  That what He brings is going to equip us to make a difference in this world, and that without His move, we are powerless.

Our worship times were characterized by a deep sense of the presence of the Spirit.  When this particular student arrived, he took to it like a fish to water.  Like Mozart to a piano.  Like Justin Bieber to the heart of pre-adolescent girls.  He laughed, he cried, he acted like a hungry man who had just found a KFC in the middle of a desert.  And it affected all of us.  His hunger was palpable, and it drew the rest of us deeper in, made us value His presence more.

Have you ever been in a supermarket next to someone who is excited to find some great fruit?  One person starts looking, sees that maybe the mango is just right, and lets out a little squeal of culinary anticipation.  Pretty soon all the housewives are acting like they got to have some mango, or they are going to die.  One person's hunger or anticipation of something good coming affects everyone else.  Everyone around them starts thinking, "If I don't move, I am going to miss out!"

Hunger for God is like a fire that shoots out sparks all around.  It is infectious.  It makes spiritually bored people wonder how they got to be so disenchanted with church life, and makes them long for the first flush of love with God in which they were willing to do anything, go anywhere.  Those sparky people stir something of longing inside of us.  How I love them!

So I want to dedicate this to all you sparky people out there, whose hunger for God fans into flame passion inside the rest.  Keep flame-throwing.  There is bound to be some nice, dry wood around just waiting for a spark.

Blue-eyed Barbie Longings

This from Lena:

I have a very clear memory of the day I went to see Aladdin. I was with Bill, and without any warning, I started tearing up. When I looked at this Disney princess, I was seeing something I had never seen before in a princess movie. I was seeing someone who looked like me! Dark, full hair, darker skin, dark eyes---and beautiful. But even more than that, by being made a heroine, her beauty was receiving collective cultural approval. Valued. Wanted.  The power of it surprised and embarrassed me.

So often when I walk through the streets in brown-eyed, brown-skinned Peru, people stop me to tell me how beautiful my daughters are. They are absolutely right! My daughters are fabulously lovely. They will exclaim, “She is so beautiful! Just like a Barbie!!” And they will say it with a starry-eyed, dark little princess at their side. Usually the little one joins in on the adulation, so culturally adapted to this “white is beautiful” idea that it doesn't even occur to her to be offended that she is being overlooked. I imagine that she is carefully considering what she can do to look more “Barbie”--fully knowing that her own eyes can't change their color, that her hair won't take the blond color well. I often reply, “...and your granddaughter here...she is very lovely, also!” It doesn't really change anything, but it feels right to say.

Most of the time, you cannot even find a single Barbie in the store here who has some color to her skin. The only place you can find a doll who looks like a native Peruvian is in the tourist areas, and in general, Peruvians don't go there to find dolls that look like them. The message is clear. Barbie is beautiful. Lovely young women with thick, raven-dark, straight-as-a-rod hair longing for it to be blond. Creamy, clear skin—and wishing always that it were lighter. 

It seems to me that this makes about as much sense as a daisy wanting to be a geranium. All day long, the daisy says to her Maker, “Why didn't you make me a geranium?!! I could have been pink or coral! But here I am, stuck with white! Who wants to be just plain-old white?!!” It feels bad to even write that, because God clearly loves to create diversity of beauty. He can't even seem to stop Himself! His creation itself seems to resists the boxes we try to put them in. (Example: try to explain to me exactly what a platypus is.)

I so want to cry out against this way of thinking, but I only have to scratch beneath the surface to find traces of this sort of thinking in my own life. I am an American, and for many years now we have collectively chosen—and rightly so—to declare all colors beautiful. But I still have geranium longings. “God, I love all this daisy stuff You gave me, but can't I have some geranium leadership skills? I want to preach like that rose over there. You couldn't have made me a bit more like that patient gardenia?” Thinking this way utterly misses the point. God loves His garden, and He makes no apologies for not making every flower exactly alike. To demand to be made different from His original plan is sorrowfully thankless—a rejection of His great loving design and unique favor over our lives. A fresh bouquet thrown in the trash. I am not as far from blue-eyed Barbie longings as I sometimes think.

I want God to so impress me with this truth that I stop insulting His goodness to me.  I want to get to a point where I am so well-aware of the blessing I have been given in my own design that it hurts me (because it hurts Him) before I even finish my inner complaint about how I am not like this or that one.  I want to let thankfulness take it's place, and be able to appreciate my own unique beauty, even as I marvel at what He has put in those around me.

I am including a shot of a beautiful garden of beauties in this post. God hand-picked his palette for each one.  It was taken in our garden this weekend as they were preparing for a banquet. It just seems right!

Unseen

But when you pray, go to your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen.  And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you.  (Matt. 6:6)

When you go without food, wash your face and comb your hair, so that others cannot know that you are fasting—only your Father, who is unseen, will know.  And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you.   (Matt. 6:17-18)

I never saw it before.  The Father, who is unseen. 

I started thinking about why it mattered to say that the Father was unseen in this teaching.  Obviously, we know that we don’t see God all the time.  Given.   So why does it matter so much in this passage?

Jesus is teaching about things he wants us to do in secret:  giving, praying, fasting.  They are disciplines that Jesus wants us to keep under wraps-so that even our best friends don’t know what we are doing.  Why does it matter so much?

As I reflected on this, I realized all the blessings that fill my life daily, carefully planned out by my unseen Father, that go unnoticed.  How many times has the Father snuck into my life to throw me a little (or huge!) blessing, and I went on my way, completely oblivious?  The right door opens up for a job opportunity, a word of encouragement from a friend just in time, a little extra cash in a really tight month that comes from an unexpected source,  a trip to the doctor’s that “accidentally” finds something they weren’t even looking for that is in the early stages of developing instead of the last…..there are unseen blessings everywhere that reflect the unseen Father.  Unnoticed.  Undetected.  Overlooked.

And so it seems that Jesus is telling us that we should try to do things the way the Father who is unseen does things.  It might be an anonymous detail that touches the heart, or even something huge and costly that absolutely no one knows about.

It feels like He just wants us to walk a mile or two at His side.  To understand for a moment what it means to do something that brings us nothing except His pleasure-to totally erase the flesh factor from an act of devotion.  We religious types can get confused as to why we even started down this road.  The flesh can learn to masquerade as ministry with a little practice.  So in some of the most flesh-costly acts—prayer, fasting, and giving—He asks us to just out-and-out kill any possibility of getting a kick-back to our ego or reputation.  Don’t even put it on the books.  Slide the money into the basket in a blank envelope.  Don’t explain to anyone why you have to get up at 5 or 6. 

I personally have a long way to go on this one.  I think I need Unseen 101, the remedial track, so don’t call me for advice on how to live this one out.  And I know there are those of you who are out there who are really good at this, but you won’t say anything.  You’ll just smile and move along.  

Bakersfield First Assembly Missions Team

A missions team from Bakersfield First Assembly came down and worked in the Catacaos, Piura, heat to raise the walls of a new high school and bring healing to sick families. Thanks to all of them for joining us in the mission of spreading the good news of Jesus to Peru and blessing the poor through Latin America ChildCare.

Please click the link to see photos of the team: Bakersfield First Assembly Missions team

Dancing the Marinera

While the Bakersfield First Assembly team was working in Catacaos (a suburb of Piura, Peru), the pastor asked two individuals show us the Marinera. It is a traditional dance from that region and is supposed to be two chickens courting. I love it!

A Severe Pruning

Our journey into missions started with a bang!  We had prophetic words from God, incredible excitement, great vision deep in our hearts, and an assurance that God was up to something big!

We had no idea what we had just stepped into.

I won’t bore you with the details, but I can tell you this--- I was not prepared for the gut-wrenching trial that we were about to step into.  We went through relational trials, legal trials, relational trials….did I mention relational trials?  I loved our new world, and at the same time, I feared it, that it would take me out before our adventure had even had a chance to take root.  Never in my life had I undergone what I will call such a severe pruning.  The kind of pruning where you look at the bush you just hacked and wonder if it can survive with so few leaves left.  

We landed back in the States like people jumping off a train—still rolling, rolling, rolling.  You stop a second to ask yourself if you can get up or if you need to wait for the ambulance.  You find that, yes, you can get up, and you start doing normal things.  I painted the house for two months straight.  I was very, very happy to just paint the house, if you know what I mean. 

We came back to Lima, not sure how we would be there.  We got settled in, and things felt pretty good.  It felt pretty normal.  Bill and I both started pressing in to the Lord, finding that place with Him that is the bedrock of everything that we build—just a place of communion.  I started praying in the Spirit a lot.  I started seeing branches sprouting on my little bush of a life, and before I knew it, I felt good.  Really good.

Severe pruning over.  Thank God it is over!!

But I will tell you, that as scary as it was for me, as deeply pained as I felt, I can tell you that the branches that are growing back are thicker and healthier than I have ever seen on my little bush.  When all my precious leaves were taken from me, and I sat barren for what seemed like such an unbearable time, wondering if I would ever be the same again, something was happening deep inside of me.  In the middle of excruciating pain, we can quote the passages of hope, but we don’t usually feel them.  It takes such a long time, but one day, it is there.  It is over, and we are not the same.  We are better.  We weren’t sure we would even survive, but there it is.  Buds are everywhere.  EVERYWHERE!!!  THANK GOD, THANK GOD!!!  EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!

I am so thankful to my God the Gardener,  who watered my little bush faithfully, put some manure down in the right season, and waited patiently for his work to be seen. 

Bill and Colton's Ayacucho trip - Part 2

Bill and Colton travel back to Lima from Ayacucho, Peru. This video shows lovely shots of the Andes Mountains, with a soundtrack from the Movie RED (Retired Extremely Dangerous) dubbed into Spanish.

Bill Gates advises against helping Peru

Recently, Bill Gates gave an interview in which he advised against giving foreign aid to Peru. (http://www.peruthisweek.com/news-1623-Bill-Gates-Aid-should-go-to-the-most-poor-not-middle-income-countries-like-Peru/.)

Gates states that Peruvians have a per capita annual income of $10,000. I believe that, because I've seen more filthy rich millionairs here than anywhere in the U.S.  The problem is that the gap between the few individuals who are filthy rich and the multitudes who are filthy poor is as wide and deep as the grand canyon. 25% of peruvians live on $1 per day! Another 25% live on $2 per day. Of Peru's 28 million residents, 14 million earn an average annual wage of $547.50. (A person earning minimum wage in Ohio earns that in 9 days.) So, if half the country is earning $547.50, those on the higher end of the food chain are bringing home some mighty thick slices of bacon. That is, someone is earning a lot of money to bring the average up to $10,000.

Peru's problem is one of resource utilization. Peru has minerals which are highly valued in the world's industrial markets. It also has large deposits of natural gas. Very little of the wealth generated from these natural resources trickles down to the masses, but it can be seen in infrastructure. In order for international mining and banking corporations to siphon off the wealth of Peru's mineral deposits, they need roads, water, electricity and internet connections. The resulting infrastructure enables economic growth for the remaining masses. It also enables me to have internet. But the greatest resource in Peru is completely untapped; i.e. the intelligence of its hard working people. "According to a report released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) … out of 131 countries ranked in the world, Peru was in last place in the quality of its elementary school education and in 130th place in the areas of math and science   (Peru Ranked Last in the World in Quality of Education,‖ Living in Peru, http://www.livinginperu.com/news-5061-education-peru-ranked-last-world-quality-education)."

So, I agree with Gates that Peru does not need foreign money. But it still needs aid--in forms that develop the minds and souls of its people. That is the power of Latin America ChildCare--the ministry which we represent in Peru. By ministering to the poor through the impartation of the Gospel and education, we are transforming the lives of those who live in abject poverty.

Bill and Colton's Trip to Ayacucho - part 1

Bill and Colton Traveled to Ayacucho, Peru, to give Christmas gifts to Latin America ChildCare children. Here's a taste of what they experienced. The best shots of the mountains are in the "Part 2" video.

Top 10 of 2011

The Shrader Family’s 

Top 10 of 2011

Greetings Friends & Family!

Dr. Bill & his lovely bride

Each year it is Lena’s practice to put together a Top 10 list of the year.   As we say goodbye to 2011, we have much to celebrate:

10.  Bill graduated with his doctorate in Leadership and celebrated his 50^th birthday with a rollicking, crazy, bigger-than-our-wedding party.  Our dear friends and long-term supporters, the Wolfs, hosted it all, and made several runs for more food.  Many friends came from far away, and it was such a touching moment in our lives.  We will never forget it.

9.  The Shrader Family made it back to Peru on time and by the moving of God’s hand in our favor.  Though our missions support was below our projections, God spoke that we were to trust Him to get back on time and by a miracle.  We did and He did—using our circumstances to put His “amen” on our return.  I am so thankful for a God who takes us to the rollercoaster edge of faith and then comes through.  Thanks, also, to all who have partnered with us!

Bill with LACC kids in Peru

8.  We were home through all of the crucial moments in my dad’s illness and in his consequent home going.  It is hard to explain to anyone who has not lived overseas how excruciating it is to think that important family moments are clicking by without you, and that you are missing your own history.  Of course, God is in control and brought us home at just the right time.  I was with my dad, Sam Bellitto, when he went to meet the Lord.  His last words to me were on his birthday, February 17^th.  I had plopped myself on his bed in a funny way to try to lighten up the situation, and he responded with a fuzzy, “Hi, Honey!”—the way he always did.  Never, ever, ever have I questioned my dad’s pleasure in my presence.  Now I know what a gift that is.

7.  Bill and I celebrated 20 wonderful years together. Our marriage, like our calling, has been a blessed adventure.

Colton & Hannah

6.  Hannah continues to soar musically.  Hannah continues to grow musically and makes us very proud with her accomplishments.  We love to hear her lead worship—she ushers in the Presence of the Lord in an amazing way—displaying an anointing that goes beyond talent.  I think of the days when I twirled her around during worship because I wanted her to love experiencing God, and my heart overflows with thanksgiving.

5.  Colton becomes a handsome young man, but “keeps his head on straight.”  Colton has grown into an enviable adolescence.  He got a lot of attention from girls in the States, but kept his eyes on the Lord and had a great testimony in our public school system.  He is a wise young man and uses his gifts to influence others for the Lord.  He’s also passed the requirements for the President’s physical fitness award.

Will

4.  Will survives two school transitions and displays great rhythm.  Will enjoys riding his brother’s skateboard and displays natural rhythm playing the bongos. He loves to read (especially super hero stories and Calvin and Hobbes). Previously he struggled to speak Spanish, but he has good comprehension—surprising us when we heard him translating a Spanish children’s book for his little sister.

Abigail

3.  Abi holds her ground and re-enters Spanish world.  Abi was the best Spanish speaker in the family when we left Peru for the States, but she suffered the most upon our return—having forgotten most of it.  Our first Sunday back in Peru, she had tears streaming down her face and said, “I don’t understand what they’re saying!” She has been a trooper and is regaining much of the Spanish she lost. Nothing touches me like when one of our kids does something brave. 

2.  The Shrader family got to enjoy being home—including snow, blueberries, and American food—but mostly FRIENDS AND FAMILY! 

1. The Shrader family got to return to Peru—including sand, llamas, and Peruvian food—but mostly the blessed adventure of walking with Christ! We’re excited about what God is doing as we preach, teach and direct Latin America ChildCare in Peru. Thanks to LACC and the Wonderful Ohio Women (WOW) of the Assemblies of God for raising funds to build a new High School in Catacaos. Thanks also to the many teams who are coming down to join us in the blessed adventure that is shaping up for 2012!

With much love in Christ,

Lena & Bill Shrader

Yellow Underwear and a Lucky New Year!

Years ago, a friend asked me if it was true that Peruvians wear yellow underwear to celebrate New Year's. The answer: Yes! It is supposed to bring good luck, though whenever I've worn yellow underwear it's been because of unlucky circumstances. Perhaps being below the equator reverses all of that. Yesterday (New Year's Eve) we went shopping and saw underwear vendors out on the streets, hawking their "wears" for all those needing some fresh luck for the new year.

May God bless your new year regardless of what you're wearing!

Feeding Program Success Stories

An omelet made with egg, rice, dried vegetables,
soy protein and vitamins.

This from Bill:

For a couple of years, we were able to feed up to 1000 kids three to five days per week in our poorest schools. Thankfully, the food was generously provided by two ministries: Fire Peru and Feed My Starving Children. Last year, while we were in the states, we had to close the feeding program. The mission of Latin America ChildCare is to transform the lives of children in need with the Gospel of Jesus Christ through education and ministries of compassion (like the feeding program). Closing the program down felt counter to our mission.

Saying Grace before eating lunch.

When we returned to Peru, we received good news. A container of food was available. It would be  enough food to feed the kids in our two schools in the jungle—but it would cost $4500 to get it out of the port. How were we going to pay for it? 

We received a $500 donation last year, specifically marked for the feeding program. Ironically, when we received the donation, we had already closed the program. So, it was a prophetic faith-seed donation. But that left us $4000 short. We did the only prudent thing to do in that situation: close our eyes and jump. That’s right, close our eyes and spend money we don’t have on an expensive program we can’t afford. The reason I was willing to go out on a limb is that I know these kids personally. They’re not just pictures on a television screen. These are the kids that scream “Missionary Bill!” and run to hug me when they see me walking down their muddy jungle streets.  

Three stories haunt me and motivated my decision to spend the money. The first is of a boy who grew two inches in two months. (That must have hurt!) The families in the jungle town of Iquitos only earn 71 cents per person daily. They are literally starving. 35% of the children in Iquitos suffer from stunted growth as a result of extreme malnutrition. He was one of them; but when his body got the nourishment it needed, it took off like a weed.

The second story is of a girl who gained ten pounds in one month. After finishing her own lunch, she went around eating the leftover food off of the other students’ plates. The teachers realized that she wasn’t eating anything at home. It reminded me of my father, who was a prisoner of war during WWII. He spent nine months in a prison camp on the island of Singapore. When the war ended, he weighed less than 100 pounds. He said that for years afterwards, he never felt like he could eat enough. That is what this young girl was going through. As soon as she got the chance to eat, she couldn’t stop.

The third story comes from Doris—one of the teachers in Belen, the poorest neighborhood in Iquitos. She spoke with me as we were installing a computer lab in our school there. Doris thanked me for the feeding program and told me that before the program, the school did not have any behavioral problems with the kids. She said that they all sat in class quietly listening. But, when we started the feeding program, their behavior changed completely. They became like wild animals. They would not sit still. They talked in class. They were disorderly. She realized that before the feeding program, they did not have enough energy to be rebellious. They didn’t have enough energy to move. Once they started eating, their behavior changed and they became kids again. Her face was filled with tears and a smile as she declared, “Now they’re acting like kids are supposed to act!”

Kids are supposed to smile and play

When we returned to Peru, I asked God to get the feeding program back up and running. As such, I was excited when I heard that we could have food this year, if we could pay to get it out of the port. A $4000 expense ($4500 minus the $500 I’d already been given) was not in the budget. But, what could I do? I thought about the kids with stunted growth and the ones who are too tired to play, and I made the decision to pay the money and feed the kids for one more year. On top of that, we paid another $3000 to buy Christmas gifts for the children who don’t have a Latin America Childcare Sponsor. The outlay of cash was making my Midwest conservative head spin right off my body! Having said that, let me now ask for prayer—that God would pay for it all. Pray that He would open the windows of heaven and confirm our decision to spend the money. And, if you feel God calling you to join us by making a special gift, please do so! You can make a special donation by clicking the donations tab on the top-left of the blog. Please send me a note, also, to let me know what the donation is for. Thanks!

For another great story about the feeding program, please see Lena’s blog entry: http://billandlena.blogspot.com/2009/11/land-of-living.html

For some pictures of the program click here: https://picasaweb.google.com/103355663653193891711/FeedingInIquitos

https://picasaweb.google.com/103355663653193891711/FeedingTheChildren

20 Fabulous Years

Bill and Lena - Dec. 14, 1991

Yesterday, Lena and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. I'm grateful to God for a wife that is spiritual, fun and gets better looking every day. I'm a blessed man!

One of the funny "wedding stories" has to do with the eating of the wedding cake. Lena and I were blessed to have two receptions. The first one was in Cleveland, immediately following the wedding. As is my nature, we were very proper in that ceremony. I'm not a big fan of newly married couples displaying some kind of hidden aggression in their first hours of matrimony. The second reception was held in Cincinnati, the day after the wedding. It was for our Cincy friends who couldn't make the drive to Cleveland. My mother insisted that we wear our wedding garb to give it an official feeling. To add to it officialness, we replayed the cutting of the cake for everyone. But, this time it was a lot more relaxed. As I recall, my brother-in-law Bob lead the call for something more fun than our politeness from the day before. Others joined in and I began to see a playful gleam in Lena's eye. She went into a wide-up like a major league pitcher and I knew I was in trouble. Bob saw it too and had his camera ready. That is how we got my favorite picture from our wedding. After Lena pelted me with the cake, it was my turn. I couldn't smash it in her face. So, I rushed forward and kissed her--smearing it all over her face. It's a good image of our marriage--a mix of play and proper, fun and fancy. I'm looking forward to 20 more years of the same!

The pics below tell the story in order:

Lena contemplates the attack while the crowd is egging her on.

She makes her move!

Bill responds with a kiss, smearing icing on Lena's face.

It tastes so good, we opt for another kiss.

Here are some pics of the wedding: https://picasaweb.google.com/103355663653193891711/WeddingShots


In my FaceBook post, I dedicated a song to Lena. If you want to hear the song and view some really big hair, check out the Forester Sisters' youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpOwHifKxyc&feature=related

Waiting for Worship: Raising Kids to Worship with their Hearts

This from Lena:

This morning we enjoyed a family time of worship together.  These days it is harder to assemble, with sleepovers and busy teen social schedules, but we still manage to squeak out some time many Saturday mornings to worship together.  We started this custom years ago with a promising vocalist of 12 years and novice drummer on a Costa Rican bongo.  It was stop and start, especially with two toddlers, but we have been richly rewarded with Hannah showing great promise as a lead vocalist in worship, with a couple of instruments budding, and Colton is now an intrepid percussionist.

But the heart of this--the desire we had--was to nurture a heart of worship in our children.  We raised Hannah and Colton in a constant environment of communal worship in Chi Alpha campus ministries, and when we switched ministry focus, we didn't want to lose that focus.  I see a natural progression in the lives of Hannah and Colton, that now it is THEM who desire to worship and adore, and their own relationships with the Lord now drives their worship.

But I remember the squiggly days--especially because I see it lived out in Abi and Will.  They struggle to stay with us.  Many of the songs aren't familiar, as Sunday mornings are done in Spanish and apart from the parents, so they are learning other songs.  We try to let the little ones do their thing.  They can hit a drum, shake a shaker, dance a dance, or whatever, but they have to invest.  Every Saturday that we manage to gather them up for worship, it is so similar.  I see the little ones slip away in their minds, and have to call them back, and it is not exactly fun or worship-rewarding on my end, but I look at my two big ones, and praise God that they found their way to Him in the middle of this environment, and I keep setting them on the right track, waiting for worship to spill out of their little hearts.  Some children are like open spiritual magnets, and draw the Lord into their hearts like sponges.  They easily slip into His presence, and it is a breeze.  Others are more cerebral, and require more patience, but that doesn't mean they aren't right there in worship.  Just different.

But when worship arrives, and time stops, and they slip into that timeless place where God touches their hearts and they are talking to Him and walking with Him---that is the gold of parenting.  Sometimes it feels like I am serving them carrots and peas for the umpteenth time, following that old principle that if you expose them to a vegetable enough, they will eventually like it and get used to the taste.  Repeated exposure.  But the moment that they find out that worship is like a fresh orange of life and refreshment, and not a rutabaga, there is celebration in the house.  Don't give up. Wait for worship.  It is worth it.

Reaching or Becoming the Lost

Abi let's her light shine on the 4th of July.

This from Bill:

I wanted to share some thoughts that ran through my head this morning as I read the Bible. The  following verse jumped out at me (don't worry, I'll translate it): 

2 Cor. 6:14 No se asocien íntimamente con los que son incrédulos.

There is a small conflict between the concepts of reaching the lost through friendship and becoming the lost through friendship. 2 Cor. 6:14, in the NIV reads, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.” It  is often used in counseling couples against an interfaith marriage (especially given the marital meaning of intimacy). But, it has also been used more generally, as in the example of entering into a business partnership with an unscrupulous partner. The Message (by Eugene Peterson) phrases verses 14 and 15 this way, “Don’t become partners with those who reject God. How can you make a partnership out of right and wrong? That’s not partnership; that’s war. Is light best friends with dark? Does Christ go strolling with the Devil? Do trust and mistrust hold hands?” The interfaith marriage or unscrupulous business partner are very real and appropriate warnings which can be taken from this verse. The NTV (the Spanish translation quoted above) jumped out at me as I was reading it. My translation of the NTV sounds like this: "Don't have an intimate association with those who are incredulous (that is, with those who are critical of the faith)."

Hanging out with people who reject you is painful. As such, some Christians try to hide what they think, feel or believe about many topics, in order to avoid the ire of their so called friends. I say, "so called friends," because I don't believe it is possible to have a real friendship with someone who views the philosophical foundations of your life as foolish or stupid. To pull that off, one would have to be a hypocrite—either not saying what he/she really believes or not really believing it. The Message’s phrasing of verse 15 sums it up well, “How can you make a partnership out of right and wrong? That’s not partnership; that’s war. Is light best friends with dark? Does Christ go strolling with the Devil? Do trust and mistrust hold hands?”

It is hard for an honest person to be friends with dishonest thieves. The latter keep stealing from the former, then laughing at him for his gullible foolishness. It's possible to be an acquaintance with theives, but you have to keep your doors locked. As the NTV puts it, one can’t "associate intimately" with such people. An intimate friendship, in this case, is speaking about much more than mere acquaintanceship; rather, it's about opening up one's life, living without barriers, unlocking the doors. The Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary supports this, stating, "Paul has just appealed to the Corinthians for mutual openness in affection and in speech. His own heart is open wide to them, but both he and they know why they cannot reciprocate as fully as they ought. Some of them have an uneasy conscience about their continuing pagan associations.”

Real friendship requires reciprocal trust and respect. Real friends let their guards down and value one another. It is possible to be friends with somone who disagrees with your faith, as long as that person values who you are and respects you. But, if that person is opposed to your faith (incredulous), such that he/she speaks ill of it and anyone who adheres to it, then you cannot be real friends with that person--unless you are a glutton for punishment or hide what you believe.

The latter is the option that many Christians take. They live and speak like people in the world, in order to reach those in the world. It is analogous to becoming darkness to reach people living in darkness or to putting a basket over a candle. The latter example is rather funny, since it is nonsensical (you don’t light a light and then obscure it). But it goes beyond nonsensical to dangerous, since the basket will either snuff out the flame or the flame will set fire to the basket. In Luke 8:16, Jesus says, “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.” The bed statement would have been ridiculously obvious to Christ’s listeners, since beds were predominantly made out of straw. So, not only would the light not shine, it could end up burning down the entire house. That’s the danger of trying to hide the light within. If one tries to snuff-out or obscure the fire within, it will only come to a tragic end. It is also, as the verse points out, incongruent. Obviously, if one is trying to reach those in darkeness, at some point one needs to turn the light on. When that happens, a few will be grateful, but the majority will find that it hurts their eyes and they'll blame the light-bearer for their pain. In John 3:19-21, Jesus said, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God. (NIV)”

In other words, “Ouch!” They are going to cover their eyes, scream that you are hurthing them, then blame you. In fact, those who dislike the light will eventually go beyond blaming to accusing. In Matthew 5:11-12, Jesus said, “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (NIV)”

It is really hard to rejoice when people persecute you and “falsely saying all kinds of evil against you,” but according to Jesus (and I think He can be trusted on this subject), it’ll be worth it.

Today, those who have a strong opinion that is opposed to the politically correct teachings of the world (especially the part of the world that is located in Hollywood, California), are declared to be intollerant and irrelevant. As such, many Christians stray away from such topics in an attempt to win their friends and co-workers. Unfortunately (as detailed above), it is a failed methodology. It’ll destroy you. You can’t squash what you are in order to win others to what you are. That's nonsensical and dangerous. When you put on a mask in order to suppress what you really believe, you endanger your very being and may become that which you emulate.

I’m not saying that we can’t be acquaintances with people who do not share our faith. We have to be. Who else is going to tell them the truth? (See 1 Cor. 5:9-13) But, there is a big difference between an acquaintance and an intimate friend.

It is important for us to take heed of Paul’s advice against being “unequally yoked,” or (as the NTV puts it) having an intimate association with those who are incredulous. We cannot hide the truth in order to make it known. In our attempts to reach the lost, we don’t want to become them.

Lessons from the tooth and toe!

This from Bill:

Our first term as foreign missionaries had been successful, but was not without challenges. Some of the challenges tested our faith and nerves. They left us weary and ready to return to the states for support raising and recuperation.  Others challenges did not look significant on the outside, but I somehow felt like they were. When our term was up and it was time to move back to the states, I suffered three minor wounds that made me feel like the devil was trying to chase me away. They were a broken tooth, a bruised toe and a torn rotator cuff.

The tooth was a molar, held together by a combination of Elmer's glue and duct tape. (Actually, it was ceramic polymer, but it LOOKED like Elmer’s glue and duct tape.)  In the midst of the move, the tooth exploded like Mount St. Helens. (I shared about this on a previous entry.) The dentist did not give me enough Novocain! I could feel everything he was doing. I was totally tense, awaiting the moment when the drill would hit the nerve. The smell of the tooth/ceramic being drilled away was sickening. (Please see the attached photo, which is a 100% real recreation.) 

Basking in the power of complete self-pity, I lay in the chair thinking, "Why do I have to go through this pain in the last few days of our first term. Can't I get out of here without having to endure another stressful experience?"

The answer was no. The dentist put in new glue and fried it with a type of laser beam that is the dentist's version of an Easy Bake Oven. I left the office with a certified case of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), aggravated by PTDV (Peruvian Traumatic Dental Visit).

I decided to recover by going back to our apartment and moving to the United States. Back at the apartment, two things happened. The first is that our cleaning woman washed my running shoes. Our cleaning woman worked for us twice a week and was obsessed with our shoes. Since Lima is a desert, shoes get dirty fast—but they were no match for our cleaning lady. She had them looking like new in a jiffy. Unfortunately for our kids, they often discovered that their shoes were soaking wet just as they needed to put them on to go to school. The routine usually went like this:

Bill: Put your shoes on, we're going to be late!

Shrader child: I can't find my shoes!

Bill: They're in the laundry room. Quick, put them on!

Shrader child: Yuck! They're all wet!

Eventually we had to forbid the cleaning woman from cleaning the shoes, but not before she got to mine. I thought, “Wow, these look like new.” But they didn’t feel right. After 20 trips up and down four flights of stairs, I realized what it was—they had shrunk. My big toe (on the right foot) began to ache as the shoe pushed the nail into the toe.  

It takes more than a bruised toe to keep this missionary from moving overseas, so I ignored the pain and bent over to pick up a mattress. That’s when the second unfortunate event occurred. The mattress was not a California King or even a stately queen. It was a humble twin. I picked it up a little off center, so I tossed it in the air, just a little, to get it better situated. As I did so, something in my left shoulder made a sound like a rubber-band snapping.

A friend saw me wince and said, “Let me help you with that.”

I said, “Thanks, because I don’t think my arm is connected to my body anymore.”

Technically, it was still connected, but not of much use. It was a torn rotator cuff and the mattress was, literally, the last straw. For months after that, I could only use my left arm if I didn’t have to actually lift it. So, I returned to the states on June 28, 2010, with a gimpy toe, a useless arm and a fear of hot beverages. Thankfully, in a short amount of time, God began a restorative work in us that included healing my arm and my toe.

Big Bruise - Oct 31, 2010

The initial physical evidence of God’s restoration was the bruise under my toe nail. It began to grow out. In October of 2010, Lena and I traveled to Yulee, Florida and had a great time ministering at Celebration Assembly. While walking along the beach, we talked about the bruise and joked that it was a sign from God; i.e., that when the bruise grew out, it would be time to return to Peru. Truthfully, I was only half joking. For me, the bruise had taken on the identity of the difficulties we endured during our first term and of the restoration we were receiving from the Lord during our time in the states. My shoulder was another sign. Even though it was less visible than the bruise on my toe, I was aware that it hurt less each day. God was at work.

Little Bruise - March 22, 2011

The next toe picture was on March 22^nd – nine months after the move. As you can see, most of the bruise is gone. The nail, where the bruise had been, was no longer connected to the toe. A few weeks later, it was time to clip it off. The date was April 15^th. We had received the word from the Lord that we would return to Peru “on time and by a miracle,” a month or so before. The toe nail was a ridiculous, but real, confirmation. It was time to return.

No Bruise - April 15, 2011 - Time to return

But one thing was necessary to do before leaving Cincinnati—visit the dentist. So, the day before we moved out of our house, we all went to the dentist’s office. The first thing he noted was that the duct tape and Elmer’s glue were not holding up very well. (This was not the fault of the Peruvian dentist. Rather, it was a sad fact of the state of the tooth.) He begged me to come back later, to try to repair the tooth. But I could not. We had people waiting at the house to begin the move.

Ironically, as my toe and shoulder pain got better, Lena got worse. She had experienced debilitating pain in her jaw. For months she had been on a powerful pain medication to relieve what was thought to be trigeminal neuralgia -- a debilitating nerve disorder. On July 20, the day before our move, Lena went to the dentist. He discovered a cyst in Lena’s gum, just below her bottom teeth. It needed immediate treatment. Therefore, on the day of our move, Lena got an emergency root canal to flush out the infection. Though it added stress to our move, it was an answer to prayer. The pain from the cyst had plagued Lena for months. We prayed for revelation and God revealed the cause. He also provided an excellent oral surgeon who was able to take Lena in the very next morning.

The move out of our house and the return to Lima went very smoothly. (Thanks to all our friends who helped!) But, a few days after arriving in Lima, two things happened: First, Lena smashed her thumb in the car door. It was extremely painful and all of the observers said, in unison, “She’s going to lose that nail!” (I would show you pictures of her nail, but it would require a warning label.)

Bill's understated street credibility

At nearly the same time as Lena’s semi-thumbectomy, Mt. Saint Helens erupted once again--my tooth exploded. Thankfully, I was able to get to the dentist the next day—though not without immense fear on my part. (I could feel the nerve with my tongue!) The dentist bulldozed the remaining shards of the tooth and rebuilt it with a gold crown. (Please note in the photo that A) they were having a two for one sale, and B) the street credibility that gold teeth gives a man. Since the teeth are molars, one can’t really see the gold in normal social settings; but, just knowing they’re there gives me a sense of confidence among those for whom gold teeth is a powerful fashion statement.)

This is where I reveal, with some apprehension, the part of me that feels like something spiritual is going on. I realize that my tooth, toe and tendon could have all been coincidences or the result of a lack of wisdom on my part. I realize that I’m at fault for not getting the tooth checked out sooner or for lifting the mattress in the wrong way. But I feel like there is more to it. Just before leaving Peru, I had to have emergency dental work.  Just before leaving the states, Lena had to have emergency dental work. Then, just after arriving back in Peru, I had to have emergency dental work again. Just before leaving Peru, I had a damaged toe nail. Just after returning, Lena had a damaged thumb nail. Is it just coincidence or is God or the enemy trying to write a story with too much poetic parallelism? My suspicion is simply that the enemy has been trying to attack us and wear us down. That is, we've been fighting a spiritual battle tooth and nail! 


A few things are apparent from these experiences:

1) Lena and I put off visiting the dentist until the last possible minute.

2) One should never wear shoes that are too small or close a car door when you’re exhausted and in a hurry.

3) The enemy will try to attack and wear you down by all sorts of tactics, but he will not win. God is there, providing miracles along the way. The cyst in Lena’s mouth was so painful, it caused literal despair--but God revealed the cause. That’s the part we need to keep reminding ourselves. We tend to get caught up in our pains. When it happens, it is helpful to remember the times when God got us through. When I was in the dentist’s chair or was experiencing pain from my toe and shoulder, I was tempted to feel that the enemy was going to keep poking us until we gave up. But that was not the case. God did not let that happen. There are a lot of things to be afraid of in life (especially for missionaries). It is easy to walk in fear. But, that’s no way to live! It’ll suck you dry. So, let me state the obvious for my own encouragement (and for those for whom this story resonates in some way): Though we may experience pain and frustration, God answers our prayers and brings about restoration.

Be the Olive Tree

But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever.
I will praise you forever for what you have done;
in your name I  will hope, for your name is good.
I will praise you in the presence of your saints. (Psalms 52:8-9)

This verse is planted in the middle of one of those psalms whose composition was clearly provoked through some difficult trial of the psalmist in which some powerful, deceitful person was weilding influence.  The psalmist sees injustice, imagining the justice that God himself will carry out against this man once all is said and done.  At the end, he refocuses himself, as we all must do, and ends his poem with this declaration of faithfulness.
I became curious about the olive tree after reading this passage.  There are some things that probably everyone in Israel knows about olive trees that many of us do not, and so I wanted to investigate.  It was encouraging, so I thought I would share.

Cool Stuff About Olive Trees

1. Olive trees can live for thousands of years, continuing to give fruit! 

2.Olive trees can survive great hardship--even a fire that destroys the tree above ground will not destroy the root.  Within days after a fire, an olive tree can send up new shoots.  Talk about resilience.

3.Olive trees can be killed by over-watering.  Apparently, babying an olive tree can produce disease that will end it's life.

Cool Stuff About People Who Plant Themselves in the House of God

1. We can give fruit for many years, producing an impressive yield.  It is the location that makes the difference.  In the house of God, the soil is just right, and when we live there, the fruit follows.

2.We can survive great hardship when our roots are deep in the House of God.  You can't grow roots where you only sit once a week.  We have to live there.  But if we do, we can expect there to be shoots coming up, even after the greatest trials imaginable.  Olive trees with deep roots are survivors, and so are those who make the Almighty their home.

3.Our growth can be stunted if life gets too easy, and we can even spiritually die.  Have you ever seen a person for whom life is too easy?  When things are too easy, we seem to be able to create problems to obsess over.  We weren't created for ease, but for God's pleasure, and conflict and diffuculties are His pruning tools. 


I want to be the olive tree.  Olives are delicious(I grew up eating them as a little Italian-American), and the oil that comes from them is really good for you. They are strong and durable, showing off their best quality in the face of trouble--their resilience.  They were not created as something delicate, but as something enduring.  I want to send up shoots even in the most difficult season, signaling to all around that I WILL survive, even when the fire or pruning has been severe.  I will accept that an easy life could very well be the death of me, and so I will accept  the turbulence of my life, whatever it may be, knowing it is serving the purpose of keeping me very close to the Savior, with deep roots in the house of God.