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Couragesample.Pdf Contents Introduction ..........................................9 The Clarity of Courage ................................15 The Conviction of Courage ............................35 The Candor of Courage................................57 The opeH of Courage .................................79 The ortitudeF of Courage ..............................99 The Love of Courage . .119 Notes ..............................................141 Acknowledgments ...................................144 Copyright © by Abingdon Press. All rights reserved. Chapter 1 The Clarity of Courage When they had come together, they asked Jesus, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:6-8) Last words are often clear words. Jesus is clear because he knows that the mission he describes, the mission that will define the rest of the disciples’ lives, will require great courage. After leading them for three 15 Copyright © by Abingdon Press. All rights reserved. Courage years, he spent forty days with them after his resurrection. Jesus the teacher is now Christ the Lord. No one can doubt that now. He is about to ascend into heaven. He is way past putting things in question form to those who have worshiped him and call themselves his disciples. He does not say, “I was kind of wondering if you all might be able to be my witnesses? I know how busy you all are but it would be helpful, and if it's not too much trouble, for you to go all the way to the ends of the earth.” Christ is clear. He says, “You will be my witnesses.” He tells them where to start, and where they can feel free to stop. This is a monumental task. They are to travel in places near and familiar, and to territories and countries they never knew existed, to share his teaching, his way of life, and the invitation to Christian discipleship. Jesus knows that they will be challenged. They will be rejected, persecuted, and imprisoned. This is a lot to ask from a group of people, the majority of whom abandoned him before his arrest only forty days ago. Clarity is everything in such moments. RAISING THE MORAL TEMPERATURE Just as tropical storms traveling across the ocean are powered by the rising of warm, moist air from the ocean, so courage gains strength when a person becomes clear about what it is God is asking him or her to accomplish. The warmer the air at the time of a hurricane, the more water vapor it can hold. Conversely, falling temperatures in the air or water will cause the storm to lose energy and dissipate. They weaken its ability to form into a hurricane. Courage begins to form in us when we experience the heat of clarity that arises when we see a circumstance we know we can help change or feel compassion for a person we know we can help. It may be a mission that attracts us, a cause we are to 16 Copyright © by Abingdon Press. All rights reserved. The Clarity of Courage undertake, or a person or group of people we are to assist. When we lack this clarity, courage has no way to develop, as questions about whether we should be involved will emerge. Confusion over the outcomes we seek and questions about whether something is important enough to gain our attention are like cold ocean waters that throw the brakes on a tropical storm. Years ago I asked my friend Mark, also a pastor, to join me in a mission to help war-impacted children in Sierra Leone, Africa, through the Child Rescue Centre. The conversation went something like this: Me: “You have to get involved in this. You care about children and the needs there are great. It is a great opportunity for you and your church.” Mark: “I am in a growing church and I am busy all the time. We just completed a building campaign. We can’t take on one more thing. This is great, and I will support you with my prayers. Maybe we can take a special offering sometime to help.” Me: “It will not just serve the children there. Your involvement will be life-changing for you!” Mark: “I just don’t think this is a good point in my life to do that. Maybe down the road I’ll get involved.” Rather than continue to ask him to support the ministry, I asked him to give me thirteen days to go with me and see it for himself. I mentioned that it was not an easy journey, and he would have to bring his “lowest maintenance self.” Mark said he was not sure he had one of those. I was afraid I may have scared him off, but he showed up on the day of departure anyway. It was a long trip. There were planes, cars, and a very old helicopter. The final leg included a six-hour van ride. Mark and I sat in the back seat over the hole in the floorboard beneath our feet. The dust from the dirt road, combined with car exhaust, made 17 Copyright © by Abingdon Press. All rights reserved. Courage breathing difficult. We tied bandannas in front of our faces to filter the dust. From a comfort perspective, it was easily the worst road trip either of us had ever taken. While he took it all in with great humor, I was sure I was losing him fast. Over the next few days we spent time talking, playing, and reading with the children at the Child Rescue Centre. We met with our partners there and learned about their hopes for the future and their desire to bless more children through foster care and adoption services. They showed us the tremendous need to help children find education, not only due to the recent civil war, but the ongoing problem of child labor that left people uneducated and unequipped to advance in adult life. Mark came to me one evening and said, “Well, this is exactly what I thought would happen. It’s the reason I didn’t want to come. Now that I have met the children, I really feel a sense of love and concern for them. I understand the needs and the opportunities here. And now I am going to have to go back and do all the things I knew would be so hard to do! And you are to blame for this! So thanks. I think.” When Mark returned to his church, he had clarity. The difficulty of the trip was now a story of adventure rather than discomfort. He told his congregation about his trip and asked them to get involved. Many took the trip to Bo, Sierra Leone, themselves. They raised funds and took leadership roles in our partnership. Because of their help, and that of other churches, we were able to move from helping forty children at that time to over six hundred today. Once Mark had clarity about the children and their needs, once he knew their names and the reasons the work was necessary, he gained the courage to undertake such a mission. 18 Copyright © by Abingdon Press. All rights reserved. The Clarity of Courage If we are to be courageous, we must get clear about what it is we are to do. Clarity raises the moral temperature in our lives that fuels courage. Clarity gives courage the power it needs to motivate us to act. Clarity gives courage the power it needs to motivate us to act. CLEAR OUT IN NOWHERE Jesus had clarity for himself. Luke tells us that Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist, his cousin, and was then led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. I have been to the wilderness just beyond the Jordan River and I have a word to describe it: hot. Not just any hot. It can be energy-sucking, arid, searing hot. And I was there in November, when it was supposed to be mild. Even if Jesus went into the desert in the winter months when the heat was not an issue, there are some other words to describe it: desolate, wild, and forsaken. From the area north of where the Jordan River empties into the Dead Sea, if you look to the east, you can see caves in the hillsides. The rock desert before you is so barren that these caves, even from a distance, look like luxury condos. To step into this desert with the intention of seeking God for any period of time, much less forty days, took real nerve. We don’t know how he survived there for more than a month. The Gospel writers offer us no insight into how Jesus found water, food, or firewood. We don’t know if he had to deal with dangerous animals. All we know is that Jesus stayed in that area for forty days and nights. How he survived is not nearly as important as why he went in the first place. Jesus went there to gain final clarity about the mission of his life. 19 Copyright © by Abingdon Press. All rights reserved. Courage Jesus’s wilderness experience is often associated with the word temptation. Whenever you seek clarity of purpose from God, the evil one will be happy to offer you alternatives. We know that Satan made some interesting offers to Jesus there. “Turn this stone into bread.
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