Willy Reimer’s Blog

I have the privilege of spending this week with 70 church leaders from around the globe for a week of training and inspiration.  It’s so wonderful to listen to leaders from Africa, South America, Europe, Asia and Canada.

Yesterday we spent the day listening to Gordon McDonald. All I can say is “Wow!”  Gordon spoke us about spiritual and character development. I want to share a few of his thoughts with and hope they inspire you as much as they inspire me.

The great question: how does one build a life which grows to be more satisfying, more strategic, and more pleasing to God every year?

There are 4 ways that we choose to live:

1. Reaction: we wake up and have to go to work or school.
2. Conformity: people pleasing.  People take their cues from what everyone else is doing. If you don’t know who you are you try to find out from others by basically look to them for approval.
3. Compulsion: somewhere in life we experienced deep wounds so we vow never to get trapped again and we have something to prove.  I.e. we never felt we rec’d the approval of father or mother so we live to meet/exceed parental expectations to prove that we were worthy to receive their love.
4. Intentionality: the ability that God has given to human beings to view ourselves from outside of ourselves and monitor our thinking and choices and can see where the impurities are and where God is doing good work.  The “us” that is standing outside of ourselves can manage the real “us” and bring about or move towards positive change.  Most people live by the first 3 categories rather than living intentionally.  How can we maximise all of our potential to be the man or woman of God and who leaves a God honouring legacy behind?

Gordon then took us through 5 realties about spiritual growth that he has observe and experienced over the years.

1. There is a tendency for people to talk passionately about spiritual growth but never follow through.

We have not changed anything just because we talk about it. This is the fatal flaw of most small groups…nothing changes and no one holds each other accountable to change.

2. Spiritual growth is difficult…usually done in secret, is humbling and is rarely fun.

Spiritual growth is hard…that’s the bottom line.  The other reality is that most people don’t really want to hear about each other’s successes as much as we want to hear about each other’s failures. We learn most from failure so for us to help each other grow spiritually we need to share our failures and aspirations with each other.

3. Spiritual growth is a life-long, calculated necessity for anyone who wants to live a fulfilling walk with God and effective life of ministry.

We should know where we are on our growth track, where we are headed until Jesus shows us something different.  Christ-followers have false assumptions about spiritual growth.

False assumption: if I’m doing ministry, I will grow automatically.False assumption: if I’m doing ministry, my family will grow in health and safety.False assumption: if I am doing ministry, I will be immune to catastrophic sin or failure.

In other words spiritual growth cannot be assumed. [You know what happens when you assume!]

4. There is little growth in the life of anyone who depends only upon his/her human skills and abilities.

This is simply stating the reality that if you work off of your God-given gifts rather than your relationship with God who leads you by His Spirit to do the things that he has planned for you to do.

5. Growing is usually quite gradual and difficult to observe on a moment by moment basis. It requires patience and tenacity.

It’s like an oak tree.  You can’t see it grown but you realize year after that it is a little bigger.

Gordon challenged us to live intentionally and to surround ourselves with the people, the habits that contribute to our growth rather than just waiting for growth to happen or getting mad at God or the church because we are not growing.  Many people have a “spiritual victim” mentality that blames others for our lack of spiritual growth while not taking any responsibility for ourselves…sounds like most of society (but that’s another blog).

I’ve spoken with probably hundreds of people who are clinically insane. Why do I say that? One of the definitions of insanity is to “do the same things while expecting different results.”  I’m inviting you to different results. To freedom from insanity. To intentional living. So, all this to ask you, “are you up to growing spiritually?” I encourage you to read MacDonald’s “A Resilient Life.”  Let me know what you think.

I love the book of Esther.  It’s such a great story.  The most famous passages from Esther are Mordecai’s challenge to quit hiding behind her royalty and work to save her people and Esther’s response.  Mordecai challenges Esther to “man up” for here people.

¹⁴ If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”
¹⁵ Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ¹⁶ “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.” Esther 4:14-16 (NLT)

Reading this story today makes me wonder what difficult God is challenging me to “man up” on? Where am I living or considering my personal interests over the interests of others?  Where has God palced me for “such a time as this”?  I love the story of Esther because I know how it ends.  Esther did not know how the King would respond to her intrusion into his court.  She took a risk.  What risk is God asking you to take? In what area of life is he asking you to “man up” that feels “life threatening”? 

We only come to know the reality of God’s presence, leading and trustworthiness through situations that require more from us than we have to give.  Why? It’s really quite simple. If we (I) can handle a situation without God we (I) will.  Man up situations require us to trust God to make it through.  They stretch us and grow us. They are the stories we tell.  They are the memories we cherish.  They are invitations we fear.  Is it time to “man up”?

I always want more. I have realized that about myself. I want more fitness. I want more from my friends, more from my wife, more from myself, more from Jesus. I simply want more. I can’t settle for what is. I am insatiably unsatisfied. Now I know how self-absorbed that sounds and it would be truly narcissistic if I wanted more from everything and everyone around without expecting more from myself. God created us to want more, to never be satisfied here on earth because certain things are only satisfied in him and that will only happen fully when Jesusreturns. 

Problems pop up when I look for “more” in the wrong places.  When I don’t recognise what drives my desire for more and I actually expect to find all the “more” I want here and now.  Without knowing the creator of the “more” I’m looking forward I will never even get close to finding “more” or I will just settle for “less” than “more” and think that’s normal.

The good news is that Jesus died so that it is actually possible for us to find the “more” we long for at the core of our being.  Not the more that self-help gurus try to sell you or the more that Oprah talks about.  But the real “more”.  The “more” that is larger than my circumstances and larger than my bank account, my academic degrees or my “successes”.  The “more” that goes to the core of my being.  I want “more” and I’m ok with that.

I was privileged to spend the last few days with some great people.  Doug, Arnold and John from BC as well as Ann and Dave from Australia and Chris from New Zealand.  Part of our discussions centered on the implications and applications of what it means to be an Anabaptist and a Mennonite.  Within the continuum of Anabaptist—living out the ethics of Jesus in the community of God’s people for the sake of all and Evangelical—preaching the salvation of Jesus for all is the intersection of the Mennonite Brethren.  Canadian Mennonite Brethren are more evangelical than Anabaptist for the most part (my opinion).  My BC friends pushed me on why I didn’t put Mennonite (and by implication all the good that the name entails—peace, community, service for the sake others) in the name of our church.  I know how I would normally answer that question but experiencing the global Mennonite world has made me reconsider the broader implications of the name Mennonite.

My commitment to historic Anabaptist faith is growing. I suppose it’s a homecoming of sorts. Growing up in a community that intertwined faith, community, culture and social structure resulted in a somewhat murky faith identity which resulted in my downplaying the strengths of my historic faith.  The more I travel the more I encounter an appreciation for and respect of the Mennonite witness and ministry in the world. A classic case of leaving home so home can be discovered. My road home intersects with many faith groups who are embracing the biblical understanding of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection that we call Anabaptism.  Adult converts are often the best proponents of the faith I was raised in and have taken for granted.

While I missed the evangelical/charismatic fervor at the MWC global assembly I have a greater appreciation for the calls for social justice, “aggressive” peacemaking, holistic development and community.  We are people of the Book because the Book teaches us the life of Christ and it his life that teaches us how to live the upside down kingdom He inaugurated.  As I waited for my connecting flight in the Santiago airport with my friends from down under, David, Ann and Chris I was asked to explain who the Mennonite Brethren are and how we fit into the broader Mennonite world.  As I attempted to describe our evangelical-Anabaptist identity I realized that I am firmly in both camps.  I love our evangelical fervor while increasingly embracing the Anabaptists call to live out the ethical teachings of Jesus.  There is an inherent tension in the Canadian expression of these two perspectives but it is a tension I like and am committed to.

Final thoughts.  I’m sitting on my deck enjoying a beautiful Calgary morning.  My Zimbabwean friends are returning to a church decimated with death as they perform 4 or 5 funerals per week.  My Paraguay friends who live in the Chaco region are struggling through a horrible drought that cut their peanut crop by 90%.  The Congolese return to a country in turmoil and disarray.  The Europeans return countries where faith has been pushed so far to the margins that the church has often lost its voice to speak into the affairs of people.  The folks from the Middle East return to a world where professing Jesus could easily put their lives in danger.  My heart for our global faith family has been stretched through all the interactions I was blessed with.  After my initial travels oversees my overwhelming sense in returning home was one of gratitude to God that I live in Canada.  Now, while I am still very appreciative the larger questions are, “Jesus what do you want me to do with everything you have given me? How do I leverage these blessings for your Kingdom?”

With the help of my dad’s cousin David Goetz we found Oma’s house yesterday.  There used to be two buildings on the property that have now been joined together. A German Russian couple now lives there and is resettling the area along with their kids.  We also found a house that David said my parents used to live in.  It is now the home of Pedro and his family who work on the neighboring farm.

Walling the footsteps of my parents 51 years after they left for Canada was a surreal experience.  Paraguay is experiencing a drought presently which served to drive home the depth of struggle my parents would have endured during their time here.  Today we’re having a dust storm which my dad had warned me about.  I’ve got grit in places I didn’t know could get grit. My parents and many others persevered in order to carve out a living for their families.  Those who remained in
Paraguay have developed a rather comprehensive community in which they have established their own social services support system, industries, schools, hospitals, senior citizens homes, co-op to bring produce to market, ministry outreach to their neighbors all because of their understanding of what it means to be God’s people in community.

Having visited the Mennonite colonies and examined their history I have a new respect for the hardships my parents endured so that I didn’t have to. In reality I have and continue to live a life of leisure because of the price my parents paid.  Their ceiling became my floor.  Their hardship became my opportunities and their sacrifice became my entitlement. I think I need to send my kids here J.

I can’t help but see God’s hand in all of this.  The stories are so sensational, so amazing that without God’s leading it would have been impossible for people to survive.  This trip also caused me to reflect on what I’m building for my children.  What is my ceiling that will be their floor? Some of the colonies have given their children an economic future while leaving them in a spiritual wasteland while others have done both and more—they have established God’s presence in the surrounding communities with ministry that is holistic meeting faith, economy and human needs. I need to review what I’m giving my kids to prepare them for the future God is calling them to.

Local worship

Today we were treated to worship that reelected the local evangelical heart.  It was magnificent.  The auditorium was filled with energy, faith hope and a longing for the Father’s heart.  Whenever people worship in ways that are truly foreign to them worship is stiff.  When we sing our songs, written from our hearts worship flows and as it flows I t communicates—that’s what we heard today.

Mennonite reflections:

As a new comer to this global Mennonite experience I definitely felt like a stranger in a strange land.  I was reminded that:

§      Mennonite is not necessarily a welcome descriptor in Canada but it is definitely welcome and admired in most other places no the globe.

§      Within the Mennonite community Mennonite Brethren, my tribe I son one end of the spectrum.  We are, I was reminded far more evangelical than Anabaptist in the grand scheme of things.

Community:

Community always builds bridges. I ate breakfast most days with a group of North Americans and Europeans. My roommate represented the only Mennonite church in Australia. I met a fellow who lived in the Mozambican village in which I helped to build a home.  I visited with my Paraguayan pastor friends and renewed old acquaintances from seminary days.  I ate Brazilian BBQ with friends from Edmonton and
Kitchener.  I was asked more times than I can count if I speak Plautdeutsch. My Spanish improved drastically—from 5 words to 10.

I worship with some 60 other nationalities who all came together because of Jesus and the common belief that we need to take his message seriously.  Jesus life, death and resurrection not only paved the way to heaven but also showed us how to live here on earth.

Global realities:

This morning I settled into worship beside a couple from Zimbabwe.  I asked them how they enjoyed the conference. They said they have been very blessed because this is the first break they’ve had in over 10 years.  They pastor a church of 1-1500 where they perform 4-5 funerals per week due to Aids and Cholera.  I heard of others who were excited to be there because they actually get to eat 3 meals a day!

I was confronted once again by the need for those from the “have” countries to partner and build relationships with those in the “have not” countries.  We have a responsibility to our brothers and sisters in Christ as well as the broader population in these needy places. 

Teaching:

Our speakers continually called for us to pick up the torch of diversity, injustice, peace and the eradication of global hunger and poverty.  We were repeatedly challenged to embrace care for each other and our world.  We were called to repent of our ways and our words BUT it was virtually always presented on a conceptual level.  It seems that our global Anabaptist community fears getting to personal.  I don’t know if it is an aversion to evangelical or charismatic overtones but there was little call to actually get on our knees and let the Holy Spirit do his work in our hearts so that we would be empowered to take the next practical steps in life and ministry.  My head was challenged my heart was left relatively untouched. Is reflection on the condition of my heart or the type of teaching/preaching I’m used to?  Not sure.

Summary

Am I glad I came to Paraguay?  Absolutely.  The strength of any event is the people—and I met great people.  Cousins, fellow Calgarians and new friends from around the globe.  As I type this I’m riding on the bus to the Chaco on which I have already met fellow Canadians with whom I have mutual friends. I will pass on contact info for some folks to connect in Vancouver and I will follow up on a friend I heard was struggling—only in Paraguay by the hand of the Father.

The Mennonite World Conference is a meeting of 103 Anabaptist groups from 70plus countries.  While we celebrate both our diversity and our shared values and convictions I have been very frustrated by the lack of articulation of what we base our shared values on.  Core beliefs are assumed but not spoken which leaves them open to interpretation.  We seem to live in fear of specificity lest we not be able to come to some agreement.  I need more. I’m looking for more.  I’m hoping for more.  That fact that the 6000 or so delegates come from all corners of the globe is amazing but this would be a wasted opportunity if we sidestep clarifying core beliefs and assumptions for the sake of “unity”.  Pseudo unity is not real unity.

Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity.”  At this point it seems to me that the conversations at this conference are on this side of complexity while the issues beg for approaches for simplicity on the other side of complexity.

I took a day off today.  Too much input over the last few days.  In the afternoon I went on a tour of Asuncion.  I was amazed to learn that the city was founded in 1537 and was the base from which most major expeditions in South America were launched.  Whenever I’m reviewing history i’m amazed how often numerous small decisions have huge long term impact years later.  As with most countries Paraguay’s history is laced with such decisions that set the course of this country.

I couldn’t help but reflect on the decisions that I make in my life or in the my work that may have very significant impact years down the road. In some of my decisions i can see the significance of what path is chosen but often I am surprised by the impact of seemingly unimportant decisions.  The history tour reminded me how much I need Jesus to guide every decision because I really don’t know which decisions will be stand the test of history and be the turning point for me, my family or my church.

My parents made huge decisions that led to them immigrating to Canada which gave me a world of new opportunities.  This weekend I hope to visit the abandoned village where they once lived in Paraguay.  The village died when all the residents moved to Canada.  Decisions that had hug implications for them and their children.

When I think of the decisions my parents made I wonder what decisions God is asking me to make that will have a generational impact.  So many people just live life as if the path they were on is the right one.  Never asking God what they should change or which direction He may be inviting them to consider.

What will history say about our lives, our decisions, our story?  Is God asking me, or you to write a new story; to begin a new chapter?

What do 6000 people do in a power failure?  They worship of course.  The power went out this morning at the MWC conference in
Asuncion, Paraguay so we worshiped in English and Spanish because we couldn’t do anything else.  It was great.

We have been challenged to work together to take on the social justice issues of our world and particularly our developing world.  Last night Nzuzi Makawa from DR Congo challenged us to tackle third world debt which handcuffs poor countries to the whims of rich countries.  He challenged us to take up the cause of women in places like Congo were they are systematically raped to shame them into submission.

As a person from the affluent west I/we need to consider what our responsibility is to our faith families around the world.  Money isn’t the answer to every problem but it sure can help.  The place to begin is relationship with those who are suffering so that we can address the issues with heart, intelligence and compassion.  We need relationships in the developing world because faceless issues are much more cut and dried and issues experienced through the lens of relationships.  Most of us won’t sacrifice for strangers.  We won’t inconvenience ourselves for those we don’t know.

This morning Antonio Gonzalez gave us a passionate plea to break from the world and to walk in the glory of Jesus by participating in the life of Jesus.  We can receive the glory of Jesus without relationship with Jesus—a growing, dynamic relationship with Jesus.   Jesus rejoices in us and has shown us the love the father and our life and service is in response to that outrageous love.  But the love of Jesus is not simply for our own sake so that we can feel good about ourselves.  John said that to know Jesus is to participate in eternal life today.  This is expressed by knowing Jesus and making him known.  Jesus calls us to identity, passionate intimate relationship with him and service for him.  Life with Jesus is all encompassing—being and doing together.

This Lutheran bishop of Zimbabwe, Ishmael Noko addressed the MWC assembly this morning to express his regret for the use of the
Oxford declaration of 1530 as justification for the persecution and execution of Anabaptists.  He noted how much more we have in common in mission and ministry and the need for the recognition of the inappropriate teaching of Martin Luther and other leaders in the justification for and predication in the executions of Anabaptists.

A motion will be brought to the World Lutheran Council this fall to this affect so that the confession and repentance can take place on a global level from the highest levels of leadership within the Lutheran church.

He called for unity and continued ministry participation and healing from the pain of separation from each other and the shared history of persecution and unjustified actions on their part of Lutheran leaders who were at the heart of the reformation.

I have often joked to my Lutheran friends that their relatives tired to kill my relatives.  My own read of history and theology is impacted by the reality that the theology I believe in was formed in the hearts and minds of people whose lives were on the line and were held accountable for their faith decisions by the threat of death at worst and persecution at best.

While current forms of Anabaptism differ from our roots in both positive and negative ways we must recover the faith that was formed under fire and guided the lives of early Anabaptists in the most fundamental ways.  Many contemporary Anabaptists, particularly Canadian Anabaptists have either compartmentalized their historic faith to the ethics of Jesus without the life of Jesus or to a narrow eternal expression of faith that defines Christ-followership as saying the “sinner’s prayer” without incorporating the ethics of Christ.  Neither is an authentic option of what it means to be a Christ-follower.

The essence of the gospel is that it is good news to every ethnic group, every socio-economic group and that the reign of God transforms our worlds spiritually, relationally, economically, politically, and structurally.  The gospel changes everything—or at least it should.  The scourge of the gospel of the west is the compartmentalization of our faith which has misrepresented Jesus and the Kingdom of God to the world. 

We must lead with the gospel.  Jesus first, forms second—whether that is at home or aboard.