Why You?

Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are.

Why us? That's a good question. I still ask that one myself sometimes. We don't really fit into the "missionary couple" profile that most people imagine. Kim still doesn't think I'm a real Pastor, even after our third pastoral ministry. Who can blame her? I don't wear suits, I'm not always right, and I don't use a lot of religious words. As for her, she doesn't play the piano or organize ladies' missionary luncheons. What kind of a Pastor's wife is that?

My dear friend Steve Osborne, who is a missionary in Guatemala along with his wife Shyrel at Amor Del Nino, hit on it pretty well. "We're just here until the guys who know what they're doing come along." Oddly enough, those guys never seem to actually show up.

So, I really have no good answer for the question "Why You?" There's not a good reason. You could probably pick a random youtube video and find someone smarter and more eloquent than me. I speak Arabic, but that's about my only "job qualification." I love Lebanese people, and I want to tell them about Jesus. I want them to tell their friends, and the rest of the Arab world. Those really aren't qualifications, just a passion to see it happen.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Thank God Jesus isn't depending on me to build his Church. If I ever quit playing video games on the computer long enough to get started, I'd definitely screw it up. He's going to build his Church. His grace is sufficient. I can be a moron and Jesus Christ will still shine through. He does it that way. Hasn't he always chosen the weak and foolish to be his instruments of greatness? Moses -a runaway murderer, David -the smallest kid, Paul -the enemy of Jesus --screwups each and every one of them.

If I leave a legacy in Lebanon, I hope it will be something like this:

Fady: Do you remember that silly American that used to stand around in the back and wave his hands around?

Naji: I remember that his socks never matched his pants.

Fady: He was a goofball, but he shared a scripture with me that I'm going to use when I preach at our Church plant in Qatar. Isn't God good?