Clarity And Compassion

June 5, 2014
9:55pm

I was unsure of what to expect as I entered the place known as Banda. Up to this point I had heard many stories. A man of God named Joshua had once lived here and loved the people of this community well. He loved them in a way that exemplified Christ’s great love for us. As a missionary to the Ligbi people group that lived in Banda, Joshua was met with great opposition. To understand this opposition, one must know a few things about who the Ligbi are. They are a people group that live on the border of both Ghana and the Ivory Coast. The Ligbi culture is so interlaced with Islam that to renounce Islam, would be to renounce being Ligbi. They would be cut off from their families and closest friends if they were to decide to follow Jesus. Young people would be disowned and disinherited if this were to happen to them. Joshua, however, would trust in Christ’s sufficiency and rise to the occasion. As a result of faithfully loving the Ligbi community, Jesus could be seen in the life of Joshua and his family. They knew what Joshua was all about by the life that he lived, and because of that, some people arranged to have him shot. This happened on two different occasions, and Joshua would happily lift up his shirt to reveal the marks left by the bullets on his chest. Joshua loves the Ligbi though, and he works diligently to provide them with a translation of the Bible in their own language. He chooses to return time and time again to the people who arranged to have him shot so that he can show Jesus’ love in practical ways. We got to be a part of this missionary’s extension of compassion as we provided eye glasses to the Ligbi community there in Banda. We were also able to meet and love a lot of Ligbi children today. Scott and I went with Joshua and Daddy to meet with some of the Ligbi elders to arrange for a house to be built for a widow who’s house was severely dilapidated. They approved that HCM could build the house. As the widow was showing us her land, Daddy wanted to make sure that she knew from whom this house was being provided. It was not from HCM, it was not from Daddy’s pocket, but it was from Jesus and those who give faithfully to His kingdom’s expansion. As Joshua communicated this good news to this woman, I couldn’t help but be grateful for the picture of Jesus before me in this man. Joshua moved into a people group not his own, to a culture not his own. He did this because he loved the Ligbi, and he wanted to bring them to his Father. The people he loved attacked him, but because he was driven by love, he faithfully obeyed the mission set before him by God. He continues to love bodly; a love that spills over to everyone this man comes in contact with. Joshua knows that the Kingdom of God is advancing, and he knows Who wins. Let us live in such a way as well. Like Joshua, let our lives resound the cry of the Moravians: "Our Lamb has conquered; let us follow Him.

Keep Following Jesus,
Tony

DM:Ghana 2013 I

Sweaty Hands

I sat with sweaty hands clenched together in my incredibly uncomfortable world traveler seat on British Airways. It seemed that the worst was over, yet here on the ground I sat in an airplane not entirely sure I wanted to get off. I writhed my hands a little more as I stared into the darkened city of Accra. The city glowing with street lights at a very dark 8:30ish p.m. A feeling swept over me that wasn’t present in my previous trips this year to El Salvador and Brazil. The feeling of inferiority sapped me of my excitement. This feeling lingered much like the taste of taking a drink straight from the milk carton to find that it had soured. My self-talk failed to save me from the wave of despair that hit me on that tarmac. This weight was a familiar one, not in the sense of

DM:Chicago 2013 Day 9

Sunday I got to help lead worship at Chicagoland Community Church, but yesterday, the guys and I went by to visit with Pastor Jon. Jon has been a mentor of mine since 2007. He taught me so much about how to love people who aren’t like me at all, and how to think. For those of you I teach, he’s who taught me how to ask questions.

Disciple Maker: Jon Pennington

Discovering, Following, Helping

Chicagoland Community Church is a growing network of people committed to becoming more like Jesus and

DM:Chicago 2013 Day 8

Disciple Maker: My First Friend in Chicago

Alex, Jacob, and I met with a guy who reached out to me in friendship almost immediately when I moved here. I’m unable to mention his name because he will be moving to Southeast Asia to share the Gospel with Muslims. I didn’t want to hinder any future ministry opportunities he might have if someone Googled his name.

Getting to Southeast Asia from Chicago

My friend has a wife and two kids, and they live in the suburbs of Chicago. Both he and his wife had background in short-term mission trips and

DM:Chicago 2013 Day 6 & 7

Just wanted to type out a real quick post about what’s been going on since our talk with Ed on Friday evening.

Saturday

Saturday was a fun day for us. Jacob and I decided to go to the Cubs game. It was a good game, but my precious Cubbies lost it in the ninth.

DM:Chicago 2013 Day 5

After escaping the rain yesterday, we got an incredible opportunity to sit down with a really neat man. Lewie set up a meeting at Lou Malnati’s to meet a guy he’s been discipling but also learning from. This man was Ed Schlager.

Messiah Follower: Rabbi Ed Schlager

Ed would call himself a Messiah-follower. He recognizes that Judaism is the foundation for following Jesus and making disciples of all nations. He would point to the sermons that Peter and Stephen preach in the book of Acts to show how in their communication of the Gospel, they tell the story of God through his people. This story is what makes Jesus’ work on the cross so

DM:Chicago 2013 Day 4

I’ve stepped inside DePaul University’s bookstore to escape the rain. We needed to dry out from the very wet commute we just made. We’ve gotten to sit down with two incredible guys already today and today’s posts will be about the discussions we had with them.

Disciple Maker : Lewie Clark

Lewie has a lot to add to the discussion of disciple-making. His book, Imitating Jesus, is all about this topic. Anyone interested in learning more about biblical discipleship should

DM:Chicago 2013 Day 3

Disciple-Maker: Stephen Deese

Stephen told us last night that “It [disciple-making] always costs me more than I want to pay.” Let me explain what he means. Stephen became a follower of Jesus as an adult. He told us several times that he really didn’t like going to church because

DM:Chicago 2013 Day 2

DM:Chicago 2013

Thumbthing Hurts

I began the day with an injury. As I loaded my framepack into the trunk, I felt a sharp pain on the tip of my thumb. I pulled my hand out to see this:

DM: Chicago 2013

Chicago Bound 2013

The last few months have been so crazy that my 2013 trip to Chicago just snuck up on me.