Relationship Consideration in Decision Making

The word "relationship" surfaces everytime I talk about my ministry.  That's not surprising.  After all the Catechism in the Book of Common Prayer explains that the mission of the Church is "to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ."

As Wendano Ministries evolves, it is important that is does so in relational ways:  Americans to Africans,  Anglicans to Anglicans, Christian to Christian, Christian to non-Christian, Wendano resident to fellow Wendano resident, supporter to supporter, Wendano resident to supporter, Wendano Ministries to other ministries.  You get the idea.  It has to be much more than just collecting money and disbursing it for "good causes."

Each heart must be changed, moved, filled with the love of Christ.  The gospel must be the motivating force for all we do. We must be changed by the relationships we enter through this ministry.  This we is a total we.  The Wendano children are participants in this ministry as well.  So if you're planning to get involved, be ready to be changed.

Now I started with all of that to get to the inspiration I had earlier today about decision making.  What if before we made a decision we actually thought about how those decisions would affect our relationships; those with the people closest to us, those related to us on a global scale and all those in between.  It's not a novel idea, but I suspect thinking about relational ramifications would change some of our intitial thoughts about what we wanted to do. 

This is an idea not just for individuals, but for groups, communities, etc.  How would our churches be different if vestries used this type of approach to decision making.  Someday when I'm a rector, I'd like to try it out with my vestry.  I'm recording this idea in my blog in case my memory grows faint in the intervening years!

If you try it out, let me know what difference it makes.

The Photos of Children

(Marci and George)

If you are a grandparent, likely you have a collection of wallet size photos of your grandchildren. The newest ones are always in your wallet or purse just waiting for the next person who hasn’t yet seen them. With a great deal of pride and joy you show them to all your friends as you share their latest feats or those “out of the mouth of babes” statements.


Not being a grandparent, I do the same thing as a doting uncle. I have two nephews and one niece. James the youngest of the nephews was my first. He is the son of my brother Michael and sister-in-law You Xia who live in Lexington, KY. James has an alias. He goes by Jack when we play spies. I see him mostly at family holiday celebrations. We always have a great time together.

George is the older of the nephews, but came after James. He is about a year and a half older than James, but they are about the same size. Just like grandparents sometimes mix up the names of their grandchildren, sometimes I call George James and vice versa. George is the son of my Kenyan friends John and his wife Susan who I know as brother and sister. George is a funny guy and loves to take photos.

Marci, my niece is now nine months old and beginning to crawl. She is George’s sister. She is very engaging and strong and she is quickly mastering the technique of twisting you around her little finger!

In my presentations to groups about my recent travels to Kenya and my ongoing mission collaboration with John and Susan, I’ve sprinkled a “few” pictures of George and Marci among the pictures in my slide show. If anyone’s attention is waning, I know I’ve regained their attention when I see them smile as the children’s faces appear on the screen.

There are other children’s faces in my slide show and all of their pictures were taken by George (my official photographer when I’m in Kenya). These are the orphans of Wendano Village that our ministry is touching. They are lovely children though sometimes their clothing or their facial expressions may try to hide this fact.

I’m praying that the photos of these children will engage my audiences even more so than those of George and Marci. I pray that they are taken into the hearts of the people in my audiences. I pray that the people will fall in love with these children and reach out in love to them. By helping to touch the lives of these children; by empowering them to be all that God calls them to be, we are reaching out to countless others whose lives they will touch. That’s the way love works. It is always reaching beyond itself. That’s the way God works too! Not surprising whey we remember that God IS love. (1 JN 4:8)

The Power of Prayer

In recent days, I've been a witness to the power of prayer.  This was not a first time experience mind you, but it has been especially poignant in the last few days.

Last night in the course of an hour, eight people from St. Luke's gathered in fellowship beginning with a short prayer and formed the new Contemplative Prayer Group (CPG).  There was a synergy in the group as we gathered in the name of Christ, seeking the Father's will and receiving power from the Holy Spirit.  We agreed on a method and meeting details, discussed our ministry in the parish and closed with a short time of contemplative prayer.  As the people straighted up, gathered up their belongings and exited the building; all in silence, the power of the Holy Spirit was palpable in that space.  That abiding presence of God and the power of God's presence went home with each person and is influencing their thoughts and actions today.

During my weekly check-in with one of my "moms", we often request prayers of each other for various people.  Our conversation often becomes a time of giving testimony of how God has answered prayer.  This week, there were testimonies of one woman being cancer free and of a man who was spared serious complications after a stroke.  There was a spontaneous prayer of praise and thanksgiving when I shouted out a "Praise the Lord!"

Lest we ever think we pray alone, let us be reminded that all prayer is communal in nature.  Yes, the prayers of the church rise up from gatherings of two or more and from individuals, but we are not individuals that exist  outside of community.  As followers of Christ, we are members of his body seen concretely in the world through the Church.  We struggle mightily to be of one mind in Christ, so that our prayers are united in purpose, but we sometimes fail.  God will answer prayer in a way that accords with God's will.  Over time, God's answer to our prayers directs us in the way we should go and brings us to the truth which sets us free and unites us in mind and spirit.  I am especially fond of two of the concluding collects for the Prayers of the People:

Heavenly Father, you have promised to hear what we ask in the Name of your Son:  Accept and fulfill our petitions, we pray, not as we ask in our ignorance, nor as we deserve in our sinfulness, but as you know and love us in your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen

Almighty God, to whom our needs are known before we ask:  Help us to ask only what accords with your will; and those good things which we dare not, or in our blindness cannot ask, grant us for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.