Ben - one simple man.

He is an interesting man.  Charismatic.  Humble.  Compelling.  Lover of Jesus.  Contagious for sure.  Here he is seated just to my lower left in the front row, wearing a bright orange polo shirt, the key person on our Sonlife Asian Team in India which has over one billion people.

In 2003 Benjamin Francis left a successful business career and the comfort of a established, set-in-it's-ways church in Calcutta, India.  He wanted to use his life in a significant way for Christ and began a church planting movement in his native land. His passion for the lost drove him to bring a person to Christ and encourage that man to do the same.  This has led to a church planting movement that is spreading across India and now other countries in South East Asia; now numbering just under 12,000 village churches.  That is phenomenal growth and reproduction by anyone's standards!

As I've interacted with Benjamin over the years, I've been impressed with his tireless spirit and commitment to the cause of Christ - disciple making.  He is driven to reproduce his life in the lives of others and to see them do likewise.  He is very much like a modern day Apostle, representing Christ to the multitudes who live in darkness.  Taking the concepts that we share in our training and applying the coaching principles, Benjamin is leaving his mark on his community and native land.

God used Benjamin, not because of his great ability, but because of his availability.  He was willing to leave his comfort zone and talk to his neighbor and his fellow worker - and trust God for the results. 

One life, one simple man ... can make a difference in the lives of others.  Each of the people in the picture above are living purposefully and passionately for Christ in their home countries.  Each of them have re-prioritized their life around making disciples for Christ. 

People like Benjamin should cause us to pause and ask "What we are doing with our lives that will really matter in light of eternity?" 





 

Going South!!

The trip had been planned for nearly a year and booked with several different airline companies, spanning a little over 25,000 air miles in total.  I was pretty proud about planning the trip, with just the right routes and layovers in between flights.  And I was pumped when on Friday, February 28^th I arrived at the Grand Rapids airport to begin my journey to Asia. 

 

As I waited to board my flight I thanked the Lord that I was getting out of “Dodge” just before the impending snow storm and glad that I would be somewhere, anywhere without snow and cold.  I began packing up my computer and wrapping up my cord so I could begin the boarding process at the gate no more than 10 feet away. 

 

It was then the person at the counter said, “Ladies and gentleman, your flight to Detroit is cancelled due to a mechanical problem.”  I was stunned!  How could a trip that had been so well crafted, so thought through, so prayed about, so anticipated … be cancelled?  And by what?  A problem that could have been caught – should have been caught - the night before or hours before and then fixed?  My mind exploded with negative thoughts and my heart sunk with disappointment.  The entire trip was in danger of being messed up or even scrapped because of something out of my control.   

 

It was at that moment that I got a crash course in the meaning of the English idiom “to go south.”  It has a distinct meaning related to something going wrong, even worsening as time progresses.  In the business world, it often means profits are souring or even decreasing.   In personal health it is like a domino effect in our physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing where one condition leads to another – each worse than the one before.  In the world of travel … it means your carefully laid plans have fallen apart and are escalating into problems that we never anticipated. 

 

 

Isn’t that just like life in general?  When we think that we are in control, when we are confident in our abilities and plans, when we feel that we know the solutions, answers, and have counted out the right steps to take … something silly like a broken wire, an unexpected act of God like a snow fall, an unwanted virus, a person with a different viewpoint, a slip or slide on an icy patch, or any number of other random events … cause our worlds to “go south.” 

 

And at that moment I had a choice to make.  I could either emotionally ride the train of despondency “going south” or I could lift my head, voice, and heart in the opposite direction.  Toward the One who is “always north,” always in control of every given situation, who in His wisdom is well aware of every circumstance I am currently facing and will face, who has my best interests at heart, and will craft every problem into His wonderful plan for my life. 

 

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” 

 

So I prayed and listened to His voice as He comforted, strengthened, and guided me through the murky light that seemingly encased my world.  And He led me each step of the way THROUGH the problems that loomed in my path.   

 

When life “goes south” --- we can either go with it, or “go to the one” who is more than able to meet our every need. 

 

What direction is life taking you today?