Thank you for your prayers this week during our “prayer vigil” - it has been a challenging time as we’ve sought to put our priorities right before beginning the final 3 months journey toward the closing date for the purchase of “House Nazareth”.

The Scripture that keeps coming to mind is: “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)

God must be Beginning, End and Circumference of all this project involves!

We are headed to Eugene, Oregon, to visit Gutenberg College for two days - an exciting educational experiment by some folk who, we’re told, have a real heart for Germany and seeing God reach Europe with the Light. Please pray for good conversations as we meet them and try to sense God’s leading about possible opportunities to link up together for Kingdom work in the future.

Thanks for your prayers for us this week, as we seek to get our lives and hearts “fine-tuned” to the Lord for the road ahead.

Yesterday, we were meditating on the phrase “The Lord is my shepherd”, and said it in three different ways, each time emphasizing a different word: Lord… my… shepherd.

This got me thinking about “metaphors” - the word-pictures that make up so much of our lives as human beings: pictures that are often our only way of really visualizing things that go beyond our own horizons and knowledge. Metaphors are so central to the biblical revelation that Judeo-Christian faith is unimaginable without them.

We tend to associate metaphors with literature and feeling: “The Lord is my shepherd”, “He will hide you under his wings”… or, on a more mundane level: “Mr. Smith’s an old dragon.” So it may seem surprising, but metaphors are quite common in the history of science. In fact, metaphors have often been the key to opening up entirely new areas of exploration of the natural world. For example: someone, many years ago, was thinking about electricity and started using the metaphor of a flowing stream of water. Out of that grew a whole flood of questions and insights: Does electricity have a “current”? Can it meet “resistance”? Does it have different degrees of force behind it? Scientific knowledge took a major leap forward with the birth of that metaphor and the questions that arose out of it.

Metaphors can be extremely powerful things, leading and directing our thinking. Interestingly, Israel classically rejected some metaphors for God and her worship of him that were very common in the surrounding cultures, especially all metaphors with sexual associations. (Fertility cults were the bane of Israel for generations.) But the metaphors Israel accepted are at the tap-root of our faith: God is our “Maker” and “Father”; Christ, our “Shepherd” and the “Lamb of God”. These are no less “real” because they are metaphors. (Electrical “current” is certainly no less real because it is described with a metaphor.) Metaphors are just describing in picture-words things that soar beyond our imagination.

Part of the excitement of spiritual growth comes from discovering the depth of what these mean in each of our lives. I’d like to suggest taking a moment today and saying it three different ways: “The LORD… is MY… SHEPHERD… I shall not want”.

Martin Luther is said to have quipped: “I have so much to do today, I’d better start with a couple hours of prayer!”

Mmm… I guess it’s time for confession: I am an activist. I do not have the life of intentional prayer that I really would like to have. Sure, during the day I’m in an almost constant inner dialogue with God. But intentional prayer is something that I have known for intense periods of time in my life but have not practiced on a daily basis.

Good friends are pray-ers like that. (I think of Harden and Maxine Young, for instance - who, at over seventy, intercede for us and our kids, Philosophia.. and probably 3 dozen other friends and ministries each day. But I’m not there yet.)

Ann came up with the idea of a prayer vigil right at the beginning of the time leading up to the deadline for the downpayment for “House Nazareth”. I didn’t exactly groan inside - instead my conscience was pricked and I thought: “Yeah, she’s probably right! Take it all to God first.” (See, I’m growing!)

Philosophia and “House Nazareth” must be God’s project or it will all come to naught.

So, the bottom line is that we’re asking you to pray about our praying: we’re making (not “taking”!) the time. We leave today for a retreat center. Please ask God to meet us personally, confirm the path that He has led Philosophia, and give us any new instructions He has for the next 3 months.

One other prayer request: Have you ever been driving through the “heartland”? [Think Kansas!] Miles and miles can go by and you don’t see a single sign. You know that you’re on the right road but eagerly look for a little confirmation ["Dodge City - 250 miles", for instance]. We’re asking God to give us one of those. The Philosophia board met day before yesterday and Pete Stewart suggested that we ask God for another “chunk” (he didn’t define the exact quantity) of the down-payment to come in soon as a “road sign”. We’re not insisting that God do this - we know we’re on the right road; it would just be… let’s say, “reassuring”.

Have a wonderful Lord’s Day - I’ll try to get back to you about the middle of the week if I can get to an internet connection.

As a young believer, I often wondered how it felt in the middle of the story for people like Bill Bright who were trusting God for a huge sum of money; for instance, for the purchase of the headquarters of Campus Crusade for Christ at “Arrowhead Springs”. (It was wonderful at the end of the story - but what was it like in the middle…???)

While not anywhere near that league, one of the great privileges that Ann and I have had in life was to know Dr. Bright personally. I wish he were still here… because I would like to talk to him and pray with him. I now know how it feels: scary! But there is also an amazingly exhilarating sense of being moved along by the Spirit of God and “risking it all” for Him. John Ortberg put it succinctly: “You can’t walk on the water if you don’t get out of the boat!”

At the beginning of the last century, C. T. Studd, one of history’s great missionary pioneers, used a different metaphor in his thoughts about the gold-rush in Africa: “Last June at the mouth of the Congo there awaited a thousand prospectors, traders, merchants and gold seekers, waiting to rush into these regions as soon as the government opened the door to them, for rumor declared that there is an abundance of gold. If such men hear so loudly the call of gold and obey it, can it be that the ears of Christ’s soldiers are deaf to the call of God? Are gamblers for gold so many, and gamblers for God so few?”

That’s what it feels like! I can almost hear Bill Bright and C. T. Studd cheering from the reviewing stand in heaven: “Risk it all for Jesus! Don’t give up! Keep going! God can do it! Keep trusting Him!”

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great
cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders
and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with
perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our
eyes on Jesus…” Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV)

There really is an unseen world and the men and women of faith who have gone before are our witnesses. There is also a specific race “marked out” for each of us - and the challenge of living for Jesus is to keep our eyes fixed forward, not on those running in front, beside, or behind us.

Yesterday, the leadership team of Philosophia met to pray and plan and interact about the next steps of the “House Nazareth” project. It was very motivating, as we spent extended time on the phone with John, a friend of Brad Heinrichs and a wise advisor who gave us good counsel.

Something really struck me in our sharing time, though.

Pete Stewart commented: “The vision for Philosophia doesn’t ‘belong’ to any of us, not even Clark and Ann. We are caretakers of God’s vision. We’ve been entrusted with it for a time and are responsible to pass it on to the next generation when we are finished.”

I was reminded of the Apostle Paul’s statement regarding his life’s work (1. Corinthians 4:1):

One ought to regard us [with responsibility in
Christ's church] as servants of Christ and as
stewards entrusted with God’s mysteries.”

Stewards = “caretakers”, custodians entrusted with the administration of the possessions of another. This is the true role of each of us who have come to know God in Jesus: our life, our breath, our ideas, the mercies we experience - large and small - are all entrusted to us by a loving Master.

It is sobering to realize (even at the beginning of things!) that we are to administer and care for the vision of Philosophia as a “custodial account”. We are to work while we can; the day will come when God will ask us to “reckon up” the books and pass things on.

Boise is famous for its sunrises and sunsets; today the sunrise was part of a series of thoughts that came to me (in keeping with the date!) about being “superstitious”. I want to be superstitious; but in a very particular sense of the word. Originally from Latin, the term meant “to stand in awe” of something. The more I find out about God, the more I want to be careful to be “superstitious” of Him - and Him alone.

One of the ancient singers of Israel must have been in the sanctuary when a huge thunderstorm broke. Psalm 29 resulted:

The voice of the LORD twists the oaks
and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, ‘Glory!’”
Psalm 29:9 (NIV)

The Hebrew word for glory also means “heavy”. I can imagine the awe-struck singer mumbling: “Heavy! Heavy!”

I can now give you a current update on the finances for “House Nazareth”. As of January 12, we have received direct donations of $61,050 and interest-free loans of $461,000. What an amazing blessing! “Heavy!”

The Philosophia leadership team will be meeting tomorrow to pray and plan the next steps. The faith-target is that by deadline at the end of April, donations and longer-term loans will be in place for the downpayment of $1,000,000. (I’m always tempted to add “Gulp!” when I write that many zeros - but God has been faithful and opened every door to this point and that quiets my heart.)

A dear friend of ours wrote recently about the vision for “House Nazareth”:

Wow! I can see it is a dream that
will take all of you and all of God to live.”

Amen!

Seanne and Daniel were with some friends and colleagues at a conference for students and young professionals on the North Sea over New Year. The director of the community that runs the center wrote me an email (original in German) that deeply encouraged my heart (we haven’t met personally yet):

Dear Clark,
During our conference “Workshop for the Future”
at the Dünenhof, I got to briefly meet your
daughter Seanne. A wonderful young woman!
She told me about your plans for Berlin and today
I took a look at your homepage. ‘Took a look’ is not
the right term: I believe that I not only understood
the words but the heart! You all have started a
great project. ‘Great’, not only because it offers
highly interesting, life-affirming and socially relevant opportunities, but because with it you are following
God’s impulses. This makes me feel very connected
with you. We’re giving our life in the same way here
on the North Sea coast – in a different context –
and experience how others and we ourselves
are blessed! I wish for you in this exciting starting
phase sufficient strength to find a quiet place to
just seek God for Himself, as Gerhard Tersteegen
expressed it a couple of hundred years ago:
‘ Prayer is to look upon God, the Omnipresent,
and to gaze upon Him; not just glance up at Him,
but to stay and linger before Him so that He may
really look upon us and heal us.’
Warmest greetings, in Jesus,
Manfred”

My heart was really moved to seek God for His own sake, not for anything else.

The Psalmist prayed:

One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek;
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.” (Psalm 27:4)

I tend to be such an activist. I may glance at the Lord; I want to learn to really gaze at Him. You too?

After a 24 hour trip (door-to-door), I arrived back in Boise from Germany on Sunday evening. My flight was originally scheduled for Monday, but I was able to change it. With my co-conspirators Charissa and Davin, Seanne and Daniel plus the entire Wehrenfennig clan, I was able to surprise Ann. When I called Charissa in mid-trip after landing in Atlanta, she said: “Dad, Mom’s suspicious. She said you were really strange when you talked to her this morning on the phone and she can’t reach you in Germany. But I think I’ll be able to get her off the track.” Indeed she did.

After picking me up at Boise airport around 10:30pm, Charissa and Davin dropped me about a block from home so Ann wouldn’t chance to glance out the window and see me when the car drove up (they went to church earlier). So, I snuck into the house and around the corner to the kitchen with 18 roses in my hand just as Ann said to Charissa: “I sure wish Dad could have come home before you leave again for school tomorrow!” A quick “Boo!”, hugs and kisses made the surprise complete!

One note from Berlin: Matthias emailed that one of the men we challenged to consider moving his offices into the “ground floor fellowship” at “House Nazareth” has decided to do so. He will be renting about 150 sq. meters of office space. Thank the Lord! Another step on the way! Thanks for your continued prayers for all of us! I’ll give you the promised update on finances after I get a little more sleep! (Dale’s also been completely buried at work. Please pray for wisdom for him and Bev!)

First, I had a wonderful time in Köln/Cologne with our friends, Arne and Ute. Arne is a physician, so about 30 minutes after I arrived he took me to the pharmacy and got me an antibiotic. (I was mostly tired, but I’m feeling much better.) Thanks for your prayers.

You may be wondering what’s been happening with “House Nazareth” since the contract was signed just after Christmas.

Things have been developing in two areas: finding the right people for the professional offices on the ground floor and shepherding Philosophia’s incorporation papers and application for tax-deductible status through the bureaucracies of the German court system and the “Finanzamt” (equivalent of the American IRS).

Let me catch you up a bit on both fronts:

The “ground-floor fellowship” - Matthias has been talking with friends who are believers about the vision of “House Nazareth”: an “every-day” community of professionals and business folk who will rent offices on the ground floor in partnership with the missionary community of Philosophia. Several are seriously praying about moving their practice or offices.

These believers will carry out their professional work and business in “House Nazareth” but can participate in the fellowship of the house through morning prayer times, the weekly communion service and evening or weekend seminars that will also be available for visitors, patients and clients. The chapel is on the ground floor and will be open as a place of meditation, prayer and reflection. While the “every-day” fellowship will support the entire community by financially carrying the weight of the mortgage and upkeep of “House Nazareth”, the mission community of Philosophia will support them by providing the spiritual framework and seminars. (See the Project Description and the page on Daily Life for more details).

Philosophia Europa - The articles of incorporation for the European branch of Philosophia were filed with the court in Berlin in early December. Things seem to be moving forward. Would you please pray that this will be wrapped up soon? We’re also polishing up our articles of incorporation for the “Finanzamt” (Philosophia is, of course, already recognized as a tax-deductible charity in the U.S). Matthias will be talking with both bureaucracies again next week. Please continue to pray that things will go smoothly and quickly.

On the financial front, we’ll let you know the current figures for donations and loans as soon as I have an update from Dale. (I’ll be back in the U.S. at the beginning of next week.) Have a wonderful weekend!

“Merry Christmas”, directed by Christian Carion

I saw a film with the Wehrenfennigs this evening that I would like to strongly recommend to you: Merry Christmas, a French film directed by Christian Carion. It tells the true story of a spontaneous ceasefire arranged by the soldiers in the trenches on the first Christmas Eve of World War I (1914).

When we first came to Europe, we wondered why the ground was so hard for the Gospel. It was almost like the “scorched earth” after horrific battles, when for many years little or nothing can grow.

We heard many different speculations: liberal theology, the Nazi dictatorship, intellectualism… but nothing seemed to account for the barrenness and the scepticism one meets when talking about religious topics in general in most of Europe.

Finally, after much thought, I’ve come to the conclusion that two things came together during the years of World War I that ultimately led to the cold indifference to spiritual things that one often encounters in Germany and other European countries today.

First of all, “Christianity” was used by all sides in the “Great War” to justify the most horrific hostilities that had ever been waged. British pastors blessed the troops as they urged them to slaughter their enemies to save civilization. German soldiers wore belt buckles on their uniforms that said “Gott mit uns” (God with us!). Secondly, the church was so weakened by negative theology and so spiritually vapid that even true followers of Christ could not see beyond their own nationalism.

World War I was much more ambiguous in terms of which side was “right” and which one “wrong” than the Second World War. In the end, the peoples of Europe lost faith that Christianity was anything more or less than the political nationalism being preached from almost every pulpit on both sides of the conflict.

Christian Carion does a very good job of showing this tension through the example of a simple Scottish priest who tried to follow the principles of the Sermon on the Mount and his politically-minded superior. I want to encourage you to check out the website and see the film. “Merry Christmas” brings alive an important step on Europe’s road to becoming the “post-Christian” society it is today. American believers would do well to pay heed to this and pray that we can avoid the same fate.