Why the Cross?

I haven't been thinking "theologically" for a while. More devotionaly, and ministorially (is that a word? if it is it isn't spelled right...anyway). I am happy to be a Free Methodist again. Art has had to take a course on Free Methodist History to be on track for ordination, so we've been reading some books and articles together, and of course I've been listening to his papers. Both of us got our bachelors degrees at a Free Methodist college in NY, this refreshment course has truly been refreshing. My son Ardy brought up an old friend the other day - a blogger friend of ours, and an old question. Why the Cross? Having had the honor of playing Mary, the mother of Jesus in this year's Passion Play, and having to go to the cross for four nights during Holy Week, the cross became more real to me than it has ever been. Pushing past the guards to reach Him, touching His bloody feet, looking into his sorrowful eyes, watching them pierce His side...33 years before, Simeon told Mary that a sword would pierce her own soul as well (Luke 2:35). When they take Him off the cross and lay Him on the stretcher, Mary rushes to His side. His body is still warm and sticky with blood and sweat. If anyone ever agonized over the question "why the cross" surely it was this women. In the rock musical "Jesus Christ Super Star" Judas asks the question "what about the cross, was that a mistake, or did you know your messy death would be a record breaker" (the man who wrote that play was a Jew). Once, when I was praying for my own dear son, in the midst of his crisis, I thought, how can I ask God to have mercy on my son when He allowed such a horrible thing to happen to His own son? But His still gentle voice reminded me of the Blessed Trinity, and how it was actually God Himself hanging on that tree of shame. He allowed Himself to suffer and die on the cross - "I lay down my life only to take it up again, no one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have the authority to lay it down and to take it up again...John 10:18 But why? The cross is the one main thing that separates Christianity from other world religions. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ split time and changed the world. Hundreds of years before Jesus' sacrifice, the Prophet Isaiah "saw" and wrote about the event. "He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon us, and by his wounds we are healed." (53:5) Doesn't that explain pretty clearly why? What does the cross show us? How ugly and disgusting our sins are to God. How deformed our selfish, sinful natures look to the Almighty, All Beautiful One. Not the way He intended when He lovingly formed our bodies from the red clay of the earth He designed to be our home. The cross shows us how much He loves us. He longs for us to understand that, and to choose to love Him back. The cross shows us that He, the Almighty, understands our pain, He chose to experience pain for our sake, that we would know how intimately He understands. Words are not enough. Words are never enough. Actions do indeed speak louder and more clearly then words. Jesus was a real, living breathing, human being - 100% Human (and 100% God). He wasn't someone's dream or fantasy. He didn't just speak this world into being, He walked on it. We can actually trace His steps. We know where He prayed, We know where He died. He came to the world He created at just the right moment in history. No other god or goddess, no other prophet or shaman, no science or logic can ... can what? can hold a light to Jesus and His Cross - what does that mean? How can I say it? Why the cross? Why do people ask that question? Why can't everyone see? Maybe, because if they accept the cross, and the peace it offers, they might have to give up their false gods and their favorite sins .Or maybe because there are so many people out there in this dark and depraved world who claim to be followers of the Lamb of God, who died to take away the sins of the world, but who are hateful and hurtful and foolish and prideful and petty. If the cross and its message are true, then people who follow Him who died and rose again should be out changing the world, not hiding in their churches holding on to their particular traditions and arguing among themselves. Tongues or no tongues, pretrib or post, guitars or organs, what kind of drums, what kind of dance, which translation is best???????LORD have mercy on us. Jesus died on the cross for me. His blood is on my hands. He died so that when I die I can be with Him eternally. He died because I was (and sadly continue to be) a sinner, in need of forgiveness. He died to save me from the punishment I deserve. He died because He loves me. He died and rose again to prove that all He has said through all the ages is True. He is the Truth! Why the cross? Because in His infinite wisdom He decided that that was the best way to act out what He wanted us to understand. I look at the cross, and I don't wonder why...I say Yes, and Thankyou, and Amen.

April 3, 2008

The globe willows are in bloom as are many of the fruit trees in the area, but there is no apparent growth on our rose bushes. They still just look like sorry sticks poking out of the dry, hard ground. I know I'm just being impatient, but wasn't Jesus being a little impatient with the fig tree he cursed? I confess to being impatient with how slowly things seem to be going here on the mission complex too. We've said that Isaiah 61 is our mission statement, but the problem with "preaching good news to the poor", is that they can't put much cash in the offering plate, and restoration - even planting to display the LORD's splendor - costs money. My Bible almost automatically opens to Isaiah 61 but over the past few days I've been starting at Chapter 55 and reading to 62. There is a lot in these chapters about summoning the nations and gathering the nations, and people from all nations coming to the place of promise. Have I mentioned lately how living in the Four Corners is like living in the midst of a gathering of nations? Within 100 miles of Farmington there are 5 Native American reservations. As in the rest of the southwest, the Hispanic population is high, and of course the "Anglos" are still here trying to claim, in an area where they are often the minority, that they are still the dominate culture. So what are the Brokops? We are of course seen as white - Anglo, though Pastor Art is actually Spanish/Navajo/Russian - no Anglo (English) blood there. . .But I digress. I hear music when I read Isaiah 55. And a call to seek God. A call to the nations and a promise that they will come. Isaiah 56 talks about how no one will be excluded. It also warns against getting drunk. Alcohol has such a grip on the people we are called to rescue from the darkness. So many people are being held captive by the chains of drink and drugs, especially meth. So many spiritual - emotional prisoners. And how do we proclaim freedom to people who don't want to hear, or who are so full of hostility and despair that they can not hear…I began this essay at work, during my lunch break. Now it is early in the morning. A crescent moon and the morning star are shining. I grabbed one of my Bibles in the dark, it’s one I haven’t read from in a long time, The Message, not the most reliable translation to be sure. But it opened right up to Isaiah 55 where I had written these words in July 2003, “looks like we will need to buy the mission without money.” And in the margin between Isaiah 60 and 61, the words “the mission”. It’s still amazing to me that we are actually, physically here in this place. There it is again, dated October 29, 2003 “the mission vision” next to these verses in Isaiah 58 “You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past…restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community livable again..”
But, as I write this, I am avoiding 58 and 59. Perhaps these chapters contain the reason why things seem to be moving so slowly. I remember “preaching” from Isaiah 59 at the other Free Methodist Church in Farmington (which is now closed) one year when the “men” were at men’s retreat. As a church, we had been praying that the Rocky Mountain Conference wouldn’t close us down, but we were doomed. I wonder which one of my Bibles has the notes from that “sermon”. Well, I’m going to bring this to a close. I need to go to work. The sun has nearly risen above the trees, a few little birds are yelling at our kitty in the courtyard. The courtyard doesn’t look too bad, we did the best we could over spring break, with the tools we had. And the place one of my sons works donated a sign yesterday. Like the one we wanted. All we need now are letters, light bulbs, and an extension cord. Blessings on you all. Yes, God bless u s everyone…Next snail mail news letter will be going out soon with pictures from Easter and the Passion Play. If you want to receive it, email me your snail mail address. My email is “artandme@juno.com.

Mary - Mother of Jesus

Holy Week 2008

And I got to portray Mary in the Passion Play of the Four Corners. I have wanted to "play" Mary ever since second grade when Sr. Igneous was casting the St. Monica's School Christmas pageant. Only, there is no cute little baby lying in a manger in this production. Mary doesn't go to the stable in the light of the Christmas star, shining over Bethlehem, she goes to the cross as darkness shrouds Golgotha.

So, I've been thinking a lot about Mary these past few weeks. Mary, the virgin mother, Mary blessed among all women, Mary, with a mother's heart, broken as her son died on the cross of shame, the cross of sacrifice, the cross of salvation.

Mary, who bore the stigma of an unexplained pregnancy. Mary who carried the King of kings within her womb for nine months. Mary, who kissed his little hands and feet, fed him at her breast, cleaned up his messes...who kissed his sweet little baby feet.

I love baby feet.

As Mary, I begin the play by retelling the words of the Angel Gabriel: the holy child, born unto you, will be called the "Son of God". And then, 8 acts later, I go to the cross.

I push past the guards to get to my dying son. I can only reach his feet. His bloody feet. I need to let him know I am there, like I was when he was a baby, and needed to be fed or cleaned. Those feet...those precious feet...my son, my son!

The crucifixion is an event out of time. it was the moment of salvation for people in the past, present, and future. But at that moment in time, it meant something different than it does to most Christians today. For some people it was the solution to a problem - he wouldn't be causing trouble any more. For some people it was the hopeless end to a beautiful promise. They couldn't see Resurrecton Sunday like we can. and for Mary, although she knew He was the Messiah, at that moment it was only and tragically the death of her first born son.

As I prepared for that scene, I offered it up as a living sacrifice to the Prince of Peace who died a violent death for the sake of every mother and every mother's son. When I was at the cross, there was nothing in my mind except Jesus and His mother Mary. I didn't worry about audience, or costums, or lines. I'm so glad the story doesn't end at the cross. I got to go to the empty tomb. Another angel..."Why seek the living among the dead?" And as Mary, I get to run through the audience and onto the stage, into the upper room, declaring with Peter and the others, "He's Alive" as our play ends with Don Francsicos' song "He's Alive"

I was overjoyed to have had the chance to play this role. And humbled.

I pray that somehow, in some small way the LORD used me to make the passion of our Christ more real to some hurting mother or rejected child. This production is more than just entertainment, so much more. It is one of the most real things I have ever done. May God bless and prosper Passion Play Ministries International! Christ has died, Christ has risen (He is risen indeed) and Christ is coming again!

The pictures are Scene one, Palm Sunday - "Rabi" Art in the back ground. And Mary at the Cross.

Nearly 1/2 of our regular attenders were in the play. And our Easter was blessed as well. I'm on Spring Break - so perhaps I will have some real blogging time the next few days....love and prayers to you all.

Holy Week Update

Our friend Beverly reminded me that is has been a long time since I have written any sort of update here. There are three reasons why.
1. Work - I’ve been transitioning from being a special education teacher to being a (praise the LORD) regular ed. English teacher. But I’ve been having to do both jobs for a while which is just a little stressful. And then there was the standardized testing for 2 weeks. Urrrg…
2. Passion Play - ever since we moved to the Four Corners, nearly 10 years ago, Passion Play Ministries has played a big part in our lives. This year our rehearsal season was much shorter than usual because Easter comes so early. There are 10 people from our church in the play this year. And I get to portray Mary, the Mother of Jesus. For anyone not familiar with the ministry (PPMI - Passion Play Ministries International), the play runs from March 17 to March 22 - I play Mary Wednesday and Friday. It is at the Farmington Civic Center and there are over 16 churches involved this year.
3. Ministry - things are going rather slowly, attendance has leveled out to an average of 14 (we had 16 today) and we are fighting discouragement.
We continue to pray for wisdom - how best can we use what we have to the glory of His name! And provision - we need a sign (I mean one of those electric signs where you can change the message - Sam’s Club sells them for $400), and a tractor (hoping to rent one over spring break) to properly take care of the weeds and prepare the soil to plant the community garden, our fellowship hall needs to be remodeled, a stove was donated but we need to rent a trailer to get it, and it would be nice to have a men’s and ladies room that wasn’t attached to our living quarters. Not that we’re complaining. We also pray for people…Sheep and Shepherds. Not many families have been coming to our Tuesday food pantry lately, which is sort of ok because we lost our distributor in Albuquerque and what we have comes from our church family and our friends at Christ Church in Farmington. Today we challenged the church to take one of the food boxes we have packed for our Tuesday food pantry and just go to a gas station or one of the dollar stores, pray for the LORD to show them a family in need and give it to them in His name. One of them came back for two more boxes because it was so fun blessing people.
Easter is Coming - Resurrection Sunday!
We’re having a Sonrise service and bonfire at 6:30am followed by breakfast. After our regular worship service at 10:30, we’re going to a nearby park for an Easter Egg Hunt. The Brokop family Easter Dinner will be in the fellowship hall and we’re inviting any one who wants to stay. We’ve put up posters in the Laundry-matts, printed up little cards to use to invite friends. I’m praying for 30.
Well it’s time for evening vespers. The two pictures are of our kids planting roses in front of the fellowship hall and part of our worship team. Thanks for your continued interest and prayer. If you want to receive our snail mail newsletter, email me your address, if your want to donate to the cause, make the checks out to Free Methodist Church of Farmington. Our snail mail address is PO Box 6132 Farmington, NM.
May God bless us, everyone. He is Risen! He is Risen in deed!

January 2008

We've been invited to Glendale Free Methodist Church on January 6, and I will be giving a "short" testimony. So, I'm gonna write it out so I can read it and keep it short. The picture is of a poster on the door of an old church in Oak Springs Arizona. Our church is called the Church at Farmington, because the mission complex used to be a hub for serveral little churches on the Navajo Rez. There was the Church at Sanoste, the Church at TesNosPas, the Church at OakSprings, and of course the Church at Farmington. The Oak Springs Church has been inactive for quite some time, but the matriach of the family who used to lead it found out that we were back at the mission and asked us to come out and do a Christmas service. Dirt floor, wood burning stove, 17 people sharing a meal, singing carols, saying AMEN to Pastor Art's message about the Savior coming to the Nations, and the Nations coming to the Savior...But for me, the old poster on the door said it all...another confirmation of our Isaiah 61 mission. And it was such a blessing to be able to bless!

Here's my "testimony"

Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desire of your heart." That is somewhat of a dangerous verse when we take it out of context. Like "Ask and you SHALL receive" or "whatsoever you ask the Father..." It could lead a person to say..."I tried the Jesus way...it just doesn't work for me." Or worse yet, "I prayed and prayed, and He isn't answering my prayers...I guess I'm not one of the elect. I must be one of those born predestined for damnation." I've encountered and counseled several individuals who made such statements. Over the years, I've learned that when one claims one of the many promises in the Bible, she must first really understand it in context. And after reading the whole of Psalm 37, which tells us three times not to fret, and encourages us to trust, do good, be still and wait patiently, I've come to look at the promise a bit differently.
9 years ago, my family was living in a tiny apartment in front of a worn out building known as "the dorm" on the American Indian Bible Ministry complex. We had been called to pastor the Church at Farmington, a tiny, multicultural Free Methodist church on the grounds. And after 6 months we were told we had to leave, to give up that ministry which we had come to love, and find another place to live. I won't go into the complex reasons why, but I will say I was doing a lot of fretting. And my patience was really running thin as we searched unsuccessfully for a place to move. I remember one sunny February afternoon, sitting on our little front porch, tears dripping into my coffee, when one of my sons came home from school and asked what was wrong. After my lament he wisely observed, "Mom, you're asking God for cookies while He is preparing a feast." Oh but the Bible says, "Ask and you shall receive, Seek and you shall find...Delight in the LORD and He will give you the desire of your heart.
He will give you the desire of your heart. I think this means, not that He is going to grant your wishes, but that He is going to put into your heart that which He wants you to desire. Remember how, on Thanksgiving Day, you walk into the kitchen where the feast is being prepared and the wonderful smell makes you anxious to eat. Or how the fragrance of fresh baked bread makes you long for a piece. That is the kind of desire I'm talking about. For the 9 years between that afternoon on my porch and last summer, my hearts desire was to "minister on the mission". And Isaiah 61 was the fragrance that kept that desire burning.
It had been prayed over us when we left New York to go to Denver, and again when we left Denver to minister in Farmington. And once seeing the mission complex, walking the grounds, every time I heard someone preach from that chapter, at a tent meeting, on the Radio or Television, from Rochester NY to Rapid City SD, I'd think of the mission and the desire burned like longing for fresh baked bread. I could almost taste it. Sometimes I could actually see us there, Preaching to the Poor, Binding up the broken hearted, proclaiming freedom for the captives, release those bond in darkness, planting to deisplay His Splendor, Rebuilding, Restoring, Renewing...I could see fields and vineyards, and a people the Lord had blessed, righteous worship and praise springing up before all nations. I often asked the LORD to take this impossible dream away from me. My practical husband would tell me, "it ain't gonna happen" each time I would tell him I still thought we were meant to be ministring at the Mission on the Bisti through and with the Free Methodist denomination. On January 17, 2007, I wrote in my prayer journal that if I could have anything I wanted, I would want us to be ministering at "the mission". And on June 24 we were commissioned to do just that. I still fret. After years of poor stewardship and poor pastoring, we have quite a job ahead of us, and sometimes it doesn't seem to be happening fast enough. But we can not limit the LORD to our concept of time. When He begins a work, He is faithful to complete it. And when we delight in Him, He will give us the desire of our hearts. Last week we were invited to do a Christmas service at a little church on the reservation, one of the churches that used to be assosiated with the AIBM. It had been inactive for quite some time, but the ShiMa, the matriarch of the family found out we were back at the mission and wanted us to come out. The building has a dirt floor, a wood burning stove, and out houses in the back. It hadn't been used for quite some time, but on the door was a weather beaten poster of Isaiah 61: 1,2. "The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor..." Ah, the smell of fresh baked bread.

December 2007

I have always loved the Christmas Season, and this year has been the best ever! I've just posted some pictures of some of the holiday events at The Free Methodist Church at Farmington. On the first Sunday of Advent the children made angel ornaments for the little tree in the foyer. They also decorated the tree in the Fellowship Hall as we discussed the Christian roots of familiar Christmas symbols. On December 8 we had a Christmas outreach. Pastor Art tried his hand at making fry bread, dressed up as "Bishop Nicholas", and drummed up business as the kids made crafts, and the parents picked out gifts in the "It's A Wonderful Life Gift Shop" (nothing cost more than ten cents). The advent wreath was a focal point of every service in December, St. Nick made another appearence at our December 23rd service - and oh yeah. We had a Christmas Eve wedding. We received many Christmas blessings from churches and ministries around the country. In turn we were able to bless many individuals and families through out the season. But always, Jesus was the center of the festivities. We had a birthday party for the King of Kings, cake and icecream and a moment to reflect on what we could give Him for His birthday. Some of us caroled at the local hospitol, we delivered gifts to an Angel Tree child of a prisoner. And we're not finished yet. Our Christmas will extend until Jan. 6th - traditionally "The Three Kings Day". And we are all looking forward to the new year. An Isaiah 61 year - the Year of the Lord's favor. And so, today, December 27 - the third day of Christmas, I pray for wisdom, provision, shalom, people to share our vision, people to come out of the darkness, and May God Bless Us, Everyone!

Christmas Images

This young lady is part of one of the families that we delievered groceries from our emergency food pantry to. I was very surprised (and blessed) to see that she was wearing a T-shirt from my home town - Rochester, NY. Just recently her cousin, mom, auntie, and grandma came in to the mission to help with our Christmas outreach. Yummy! Fry Bread and Navajo Tacos. And get a load of Pastor Art, drumming up business for our Christmas event, dressed like Ol' St. Nick.

A Monday Morning on the Bisti

Praying in the morning,
Driving a winding road through a barren land
But the rising sun behind me
Be it a goldent sunrise,
Or rosey red
Paints the rocks, the mesas, and the distant mountians
in such shimmering shades and deep shadows...
This is the definition of awesome - the definition of vast
Glory be to God, Creator of Heaven and Earth
Look there! a flock of sheep
The Lord is my Shepherd
Look there! a herd of cattle
The Lord owns the cattle on a thousand hills
Look there! a formation of geese landing on the power plant's pond
and there! bright eyed children waiting for the yellow bus
and there! a noble man upon a noble beast - riding out to greet the dawn.
Glory to God, Creator of this all.
This land is not my birth place, but it is my home
And it is my joy and duty to be praying over it and through it
while driving down this winding road.

Update - December 1

This has been an encouraging 2 weeks. On the Sunday before Thanksgiving we had 18 people in church: family, friends, and visitors. A nice intergenerational (from 3 weeks to 63) and multicultural mix. Surprisingly we only had one family come to our food pantry that Tuesday. On Wednesday we had an early Thanksgiving Feast for family and friends of the ministry. Sixteen Pilgrims and Indians, mostly Indians. Our younger son cooked dinner on Thursday and it was his birthday as well, so we put candles on the pumpkin pie. We had so much to be thanksful for this year. Last Sunday there were 17... Communion and Pot Luck. The kids made angels for the little Christmas tree in the foyer. This week they will decorate the tree in the fellowship hall while they learn the spiritual meanings behind familiar holiday symbols. This past Tuesday we put up Christmas lights - now our little mission shines brightly in the cold dark nights. And several families, one with 8 kids, came to the food pantry. The best part of it all is that a friend and brother, who was raised on this complex, but who has been having a crisis of faith for a long time, has started coming to church, and talking with Pastor Art. A lost sheep has found his way home. We have a big Christmas Outreach planned for next Saturday, December 8. And our Prayers for provision are increasing as the Holidays approach and heating costs rise, and more people need help. Yet we continue, with those simple steps of obedience, trusting God. After all, this is His ministry - and He is faithful. May God bless us - everyone.

Some Immediate and Long Term Needs

Dolls, Trucks, and Basket Balls - needed by December 7

Blankets for the Elderlies

I did have hats and mittens on the list, but by the time I sat down to type it up, we just got a large donation of nice winter sets - praise the LORD!

A small TV, VCR, DVD combo unit

I was just thinking, if that one family, with 8 kids, who came to the food pantry, decided to make our Church their Church, we'd need another kids' room. Our long range plan includes getting a modest double wide put on the property for pastor housing, so we can convert the apartment part of the main building back into classrooms. Right now we are using the fellowship hall for kids church, but could soon need a pre-school room, kids' klass, and youth room. Well - God knows and God will provide, all within his perfect timing. Thanks be to God!

for our new friends:

our contact information is

The Free Methodist Church at Farmington

PO Box 6132

1275 Bistin Highway (371)

Farmington, NM 87499

(505)325-4496

artandme@juno.com

She Put Them Under Her Pillow

I struck up a conversation with one of the custodians at my school a few months back. She was anxious because her daughter, expecting her second baby, was over due. When she was out of work a few days, I surmised that the little one had finally arrived. And when I found out it was a little girl, I put together a gift bag of hand knit booties, a blanket and sweater and brought it to school. I hadn‘t done the knitting. Some blessed women, from another state sent a bunch of such cozy items to the mission. We still haven’t built up a very large congregation. Some people still believe the place to be abandoned. But I’m not going to just let those donations sit and collect dust. I told the grandma the gift was from our church. A few weeks later I was given a thank you card and small gift bag from the baby’s shower. Then she brought the little family in to meet me. Three generations. Proud Grandma, Stoic Mother, beautiful baby girl with thick black hair and bright eyes. And, hiding behind grandma was a cute little, barely three year old sister. So another gift box came. More donations to the Indian Mission. This time there were several pairs of children’s shoes, and some brand new socks. Sometimes new babies get all the attention, so I decided that a nice new pair of shoes and socks might be a nice gift for big sister.
I checked with grandma first. I didn’t want to offend them. Then I put together another gift bag, with the shoes, socks, and a little story book. Yesterday Grandma told me that the shoes were a little big, growing room, and that the little girl was so excited about them that she insisted upon sleeping with them under her pillow.
The 7th grade English teacher had the students write a journal entry about a gift they received that they didn’t like. Most of the class was pretty confused. A gift they didn’t like? How could there be such a thing? Give thanks with a grateful heart! Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving!

First Sunday of November

Hard to believe we are starting our fifth month at 1275 Bisti Highway. It is slow going. We are dealing with years of poor stewardship and Ezekiel 34 shepherding. Our average attendance is 14. We have had our first Baptism. We are praying and singing and trusting.
Getting reading to send out a newsletter. Putting signs up in the Laundry Matts. Lighting the lights and opening the doors and trying to be faithful with the little so that God will give us the more. More sheep and more shepherds.
Yesterday was a wonderful day. It was clear and crisp, blue and gold. We haven’t had very many people coming to our Tuesday food distributions. So I asked a sweet Christian gentleman, who is a substitute teacher at my school, if he knew any families that needed some groceries. He gave us three names and we delivered food boxes Saturday morning.
The families lived on the reservation. It was a blessing to give.
One of the young ladies in one of the homes, where three generations lived, was wearing a tee shirt from my home town - Rochester, NY. She let me take her picture and I’ll post it when I get the film developed. One of the churches in Farmington, that we fellowship with, and worship with at their Saturday evening services, donated $300 to our Church. They also collected food for our food pantry. My granddaughter helped me put out hats and mittens for our distribution after church today.
I’ve recently realized something. We were at an event sponsored by Passion Play Ministries International (PPMI) which has its headquarters in Farmington. We’ve been part of the ministry for the 9 years that we have been in the area, and we were discussing its value and uniqueness. Passion Play gives a lot of people a chance to minister through drama. People who might not otherwise be offered the chance to minister. I think our little church will be like that. It already is. The people who stuffed our treat bags for the parade, and rode on the float, or walked beside it handing out candy and singing praises to the LORD aren’t the type of people found ministering in most churches. The family of women, deep in poverty, to whom we delivered a food basket, have volunteered to make fry bread for a fund raiser, Navajo Tacos (yum) probably will be part of our Christmas outreach. Our “poor” people bring food for the food pantry, and show up to serve when called upon. We have a small core group who want a chance to do something for the LORD. Widows, orphans, captives, prisoners, who will be called oaks of righteousness, who will help rebuild the ruins…Isaiah 61.
It is slow going, but we are not discouraged. We need prayer - we continue to pray for wisdom, provision, shalom, and people. God knows full well what people we need and where they are. We will pray that they will find their way to us, and trust enough to commit. God’s will be done. And so, tis almost time for our evening service. It is usually just Pastor Art and I praying. And that is ok. The lights are on and the doors are open. To God be the Glory!

Shiprock, October 6, 2007

Many little hands working together to prepare treat bags and flowers for our float.

And they didin't even "sneak" any of the candy for themselves. Each treat bag had a drawing and the name of a familiar hymn in Navajo on the outside, and some candy and an invitation to church on the inside. Our goal was 1500, but we only finished 900. Next year we will start sooner.

This is the Tse Bit Ai Middle School band (where I teach) practicing for the parade.

by 6:00 am it was bumper to bumper traffic into Shiprock. Cars and trucks and half finished floats, moving at a snail's pace. Many families had staked their claims along the parade route, some acutally camping out on the side of the road.

Waiting, watching, floats and bands, 200 entries.

putting the finishing touches on our float.

There were 19 of us working on the float, setting up the sound system. We had hot chocolate, cookies, and a lot of fun.

This is it. One of many musical floats. Ready to go.

Three of our little ladies getting ready to hand out treat bags.

Some of us walked, handing out candy and singing along with the group. "Something about the Name of Jesus, Something 'bout His holy name"

Just a view of the crowd. Over 100,000 people. We ran out of treat bags real quick, but the music kept on for the full three miles.

Was it worth it? By the end of the parade we were cold and tired. But the name of the LORD was proclaimed and we had a lot of fun.

September 2007

As we begin our third month of ministry at the little church on the Bisti, we are blessed and encouraged. We are comfortably settled into our apartment and trusting that we will be able to get a heating system installed before the cold weather sets in. At least the heater and cooler work in the sanctuary.We are looking forward to the first weekend in October and the Shiprock Fair, the largest fair on the Navajo Nation. We will have a float in the Parade, which is seen by over 100,000 people. That Sunday we will be dedicating our Emergency Food Pantry, and we are planning a "Worship like a Warrior" conference as a follow up to the fair. We are hoping to let the community know there is something fresh and vibrant going on here, at the Eastern Gate of the Navajo Reservation. Right now our greatest need is for equipment to work on the grounds, a perhaps a small tractor. We want the place to look more inviting, and the weeds have been allowed to takeover the grounds. Maryellen, Ardy and Jeremiah have been tackling them with hoes and weed wackers, but the weeds are winning. We are also looking at some nice little cabin type trailers to replace the broken down buildings, in which to housemission teams and/or to use for emergency housing. It will probably be some time before we see that happen. But we continue to claim Isaiah 61 as our mission statement and to trust in the LORD! Please do continue to keep us in prayer.Sincerely, in His Service to His People Pastor Art and Maryellen

lunar eclipse

this is the second night in a row that the LORD has woken me up around 2:00am to take the short walk across the courtyard into the Sanctuary to pray. I've awoken with a song in my heart. Last night it was "come, now is the time to worship", tonight it was "Jesus, all for Jesus". There is a clear sky over the Four Corners, after a day of unusually heavy rain. And the full moon is being eclipsed. I would have missed it if He hadn't woken me up. The heavens declare His glory. just thought I'd mention it. I'm going outside again to watch.

Prayer at Dawn

Native Flute and Buffalo Drum

Ezekiel 36, prayed in the Sanctuary from the English and Navajo Bible.

Mountains of Israel, hear the Word of the LORD…
Sacred Mountains of Dine’Tah, hear the Word of the LORD...

Then we walked to a place from where we could see the ministry buildings, the mesas to our south, the Bisti highway, and the trees that grow along the SanJuan River - our eastern border. It was Julia Redhouse, our Navajo worship leader, and myself at first because Pastor Art had to change his shoes. You do NOT walk our land in Sandals. God hasn’t replaced the brier and thorns with fir-trees and myrtle yet (Isa 55:13)
Julia spoke out what I was thinking, this particular spot would be perfect for a Hogan shaped church. When Pastor Art joined us, he looked around for a moment and said, “wouldn’t this be a perfect place for a Hogan Church?”.
As Julia prayed, both in Navajo and English, she asked that the LORD would make the vision for our ministry to come into being, or that if were not from Him, that He would take it from her. Over the past nine years I have often prayed the same prayer. Crying out to the LORD, when He again and again brought this complex to my mind, showed me what could and should be accomplished here. “Why are you showing me this, if it is an impossibility?”
“Lord, if this vision is not from you, than take it away.” He never did.
Now, as we pray for wisdom, provision, people (both to serve and be served) and Shalom, I am awed and humbled that He has put us here, to restore what the enemy has stolen. Let His will, and only His will be done here.
One more thing about this mornings early morning prayer. Julia said this place was a graveyard of gossip. And we prayed that that curse would be removed.
And then Pastor Art prayed his morning song on the native flute while Julia beat on the buffalo drum. Yes LORD and Amen.

Sunday Morning

I am so happy to be living this life again. Getting ready for Church on Sundays is such a pleasure. Preparing the Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall, and even the restroom. Singing and praying as I go about the business. Kingdom business. I’ve been working on the court yard. It still needs a lot of work. I was thinking that if I had a few extra thousand dollars, I’d pay the local Mennonites to do the landscaping, but then there are more pressing needs. I can do the yard work, with the help of my sons, for now at least. This morning as I was unlocking the doors and opening the gates, an Indian rode by on a horse. For my northeastern friends I should add that he was not wearing feathers or carrying a bow and arrow. Actually he was dressed like a cowboy. We greeted each other and I smiled. Dear God in heaven, bless him. Bless all the people, from all the tribes tongues and nations that ride by this ministry complex day after day (most of them are in cars and pickups). Bring us the lost sheep, and the shepherds who will help us care for them. And a thousand thanks Abba Father, for entrusting us with this ministry. May your will be done!

Rocks, Trees, and Little Birds

Tse Bit’Ai is the Dine’ word for Shiprock, which loosely translated means “Rock with Wings.” I teach at Tse Bit’Ai Middle School.
This morning, I spent 2 sweaty hours pulling weeds in a small, triangular area of the courtyard between the Church building and the Fellowship Hall.
Yesterday, some friends of ours visited our little church. I’d love them to come on a regular basis, but they are well rooted in a church on the Rez and I don’t want to be about stealing sheep from other folds. I work with Mary, and used to dance with her on a dance team at her home church. The family has eaten several holiday dinners with us. I often wondered how many of my northeastern friends could claim that they had “real Indians” at their Thanksgiving dinners? Anyway, I mention Mary and her family, because of an observation they made about the courtyard. When we were here nine years ago, this area was very lovely. Several trees and large bushes. When we moved back, it was overgrown with weeds and thistles, there were only 2 trees, one nearly dead, and it looked pretty sad.
One of the first things I did, when I realized that the LORD was going to allow us to minister here again, was to pull the large weeds that grew along side the church and put bird feeders and wind chimes in the trees. But every time I walked between the Church and home (we live in an apartment behind the fellowship hall) I felt overwhelmed at the extent of work that needed to be done. Yesterday, Al - Mary’s husband - commented on how much he liked at least part of the court yard. It is a sort of “rock garden”. There are large hunks of rock, petrified tree trunks, two Yucca plants (New Mexico’s state flower) and some cacti. Mary liked the wild flowers. I found out that some of the weeds were actually Navajo Tea, that grows wild in this area. I still want to upgrade the area. There are thistles and the kind of weed that “evolves” into tumble weeds. They have to go. (Isaiah 55:13 - Instead of the thorn bush, the cypress will come up, and instead of the nettle, the myrtle will come up.) I prayed that, as I was pulling weeds this morning. And as I pulled dead grasses and choking weeds away from the tree, I thought of how “all the trees of the field will clap their hands” Isaiah 55:12. I thought about just why I wanted the courtyard to look good. About how YHWH took Adam into the Garden of Eden, to cultivate it and keep it (Genesis 2:15) and how I want the people who come to this place to be blessed by it’s beauty and peace. But this morning I was noticing the beauty of each rock and wild flower. I hummed the hymn “On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand”, and thought of how the LORD said that if people didn’t praise Him, the rocks and stones themselves would shout with praise. Yeah, that is a little out of context, but as I weeded around the rocks, and dug out some buried rocks so that their beauty was more visible, I prayed that our little Church would be filled with song again, from people - not rocks. And I was blessed to see the sparrows and humming birds making use of the feeders I put in the tree. God knows each one of them, He knows each one of you, and He knows each one that is being called to come find Him at our little Church. Each widow and orphan. Each prisoner and lost sheep. Each laborer and prayer partner and scared warrior. As I was coming in to take a break and write this, I heard a sparrow chirping at the feeder. As he flew off, he lost one of his feathers which I picked up and put in our vehicle. It is hanging from our mirror along with our symbolic reminders that God loves the Dine’ and is able to “feed” the multitudes. It’s not an eagle feather, like the ones that hang from many Navajo mirrors. But it is a powerful reminder that God knows and God cares.

Rainbows, Thunder, and Sparrows

Last night we were blessed with an awesome, golden sunset that produced a glorious rainbow over the mesas. I always consider a rainbow a blessing, and this was the first one I’ve seen in a long time. A few nights ago there was a tiny, young sparrow on our window sill, sheltering himself from the wind I suppose. I know how he felt. There are several references to sparrows in the Bible. God knows. God knows and God cares…
And the God of glory thunders. It seems that the summer monsoons have arrived early this year. Blessings come, falling on thirsty desert ground. There is hope in the gathering clouds. But there are storms too. We dare not let up on the prayers. Recently a Bishop of the Free Methodist gave a speech which in part answers my friend Bridgett’s question about just what are Free Methodists? You can read the whole speech here http://test.freemethodistchurch.org/pdfs/GCDaily07/GC07_Kendall_PastoralAddress.pdf
“In the 18th century, the Wesley brothers sought simply to return to the doctrines, practices and ministries of the early church, the church of the apostolic era.
They did not innovate as much as recapture the Spirit of the first to be church. Under their anointed leadership the common people — the lost - were transformed by the grace of God. They were empowered to become change agents in their world. Such change provided the content of their mission to preach the gospel to the poor and reform the nation. Likewise, at its inception the Free Methodist Church sought only to recapture the spirit of
“primitive Methodism” and thus “save the church” from decline and death. As the early Free Methodists conformed to the Biblical standard of Christianity and preached the gospel to the poor, they also changed their world.”
A call to minister to the poor. A call to Holiness. An Isaiah 61 call to bind up the broken hearted and preach the good news to the poor. Yes LORD Yes!

Monday Morning

This morning I got up early and walked the land. It was still dark and pretty quiet. I turned on the lights in the Church so perhaps the commuters would take note. After the walk, I sat in front of the ministry complex and waited for the sun to rise. I can see the hospital to the east and the airport to the north. People coming and going. And I pray. My prayer for the ministry, for The Free Methodist Church at Farmington and for the Brokop family is wisdom, provision, and shalom. But this morning I pray for mercy. And I sing “Refiner’s Fire”. I pray for angels to watch over this place, to encamp around it. I open the Bible, the Contemporary English Version today, to Psalm 142 and read “I pray to you, LORD. I beg for mercy. I tell you all of my worries and my troubles and whenever I feel low, you are there to guide me.” One time, about 9 years ago, when we were living in the little building in the back, the building called the dorm, where our son is staying until he can get a place of his own, a stranger came knocking on our door. We could tell he wasn’t trouble, because old Bear, the mission dog (may he rest in peace) wasn’t barking at him. He came in, for a cup of coffee and in our conversation he said something I have never forgotten. He said pastors shouldn’t be so occupied with counting the sheep. Pastors who count the sheep end up falling asleep. Instead, pastors should be about feeding the sheep. That makes sense. Only I wonder about the lost sheep. Those wandering in the dark. If we don’t count the sheep, how do we know whose missing? There were only 8 of us in church this week. The enemy is whispering in my ears the words of David in psalm 142:4
“see, look, you won’t find anyone who cares enough to walk beside you…no one who really cares.” But I will sing out the hymns that come to my heart as I walk the land - Trust and Obey, Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus, and On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand. And I go back to verse three of Psalm 142 - whenever I feel low, you are there to guide me. Yes and Amen. It’s just 6:30 now. I’m gonna have a cup of coffee and go pull weeds. This place needs a lot of work.