News from Andy & Cari

What Does the End Look Like? Life, the
Middle East & Jesus

I'm walking two separate journeys currently that deal with the end. My Dad passed away after a stroke last month. I was unprepared for this. Dad has always been a rock. Steady. Faithful. Devoted to Jesus and his family. And now Mom is approaching her last days as she clutches a photo of Dad from a few years ago, somehow aware that he is not returning to kiss her goodnight. Dad passed peacefully and I was able to say goodbye before we left for the Holy Land. But his absence leaves a big hole. 

And now based here in Bethlehem, after two weeks of immersion in the multiple stories of this conflict, we follow the news of bombing in Syria and call up a Google Map from the Galilee region where we were last week, finding Damascus is a mere 67 miles away. We are safe but all of this gives me pause. Beyond my own personal grieving about Mom and Dad, the events in the Holy Land and what leads up to the end of times have turned calm theologians and pastors into knots since the time Jesus said, "and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14).

Its true, Jesus originally said, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed..." (Matthew 24:36), and yet its kind of in our nature to pause and ponder, especially NOW. These verses that comprise part of the end of the Gospel of Matthew have taken me deep into thought before. I've written and preached about these texts before and I call them up now. My big aha is this--anticipating the return of the Lord was never to be about sitting still, looking into the sky for his coming. Rather, being ready for the Lord's return meant that we should be about his Kingdom's work, HERE, NOW. As Brian Zahnd reminds us: "Christians should never say, 'This world is not my home.' This world IS our home! It’s the locus of God’s saving work. The blessed hope is not “we’re going,” but “Christ is coming.” Our eschatological hope is resurrection, not evacuation.'"

These words bring me comfort as I ponder the passing of my Dad. I will see him again one day. But in the meantime, this world, the work I am called to NOW to make peace is what I'm supposed to do as a disciple of Jesus Christ.  

Raising Support Continues--I'm at 67% Support Committed

Highlights, Resources & Ministry Initiatives Going on Right Now!

• Andy co-lead a dual narrative tour with Pine Lake Covenant Church to the Holy Land this month. Check out Cari's blog for some wonderful stories and things we're learning. She grapples with some of the challenges of this place but also highlights the wonderful people we're coming to love.
• Andy is teaching a class for North Park Seminary on Peacemaking in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Students will join us the end of May for a tour, deeper engagement and reflection on this conflict. He's asking students to interview Palestinians and Israelis and then write a paper on how peacemaking is important for Christian Discipleship and also the North American church.
• This week we are heading to Jordan to both volunteer with SCM Medical Mission on a distribution and also connect with several Syrian families related to our Syrian friends back in Seattle. We anticipate our hearts will be both blessed--and broken. Cari has asked for small contributions for her 50th birthday so we can bless the Syrian families waiting for resettlement in another country. Go to her GoFundMe page to make a contribution please.
• Check out a new website on Christian Zionism with the best stuff yet to help answer questions like "whose land is this?" "who are the chosen people?" etc.
• We're also working on a sequel to my movie, "Blessed Are the Peacemakers: One Man's Journey to the Heart of Palestine." View the original for free now and keep posted for news of our new release. We are also developing an companion study guide for the movie that you'll be able to use in small groups.