It took me some time to figure out what people meant when they said that they flew on the “red eye.” Now that I’ve traveled, I understand. Flying at an insane hour (like we did at 1:00 am this morning) gives you red eyes – hence, the “red eye.”
We’re on our way to Monrovia, Liberia in West Africa. Our itinerary is taking us via Nairobi, Kenya, where I’m now sitting in the airport typing and waiting for our connecting flight in about six hours’ time. Everyone in the airport has red eyes at this hour. No one wants to exchange pleasantries. I’m in search for a cup of coffee to ease the effects of the “red eye.”
Hanging out in church you notice something
I’m actually excited about this trip. It’s our first time in West Africa. We are going to hold a week-long Leadership Academy with 100 church leaders together with our friends Paul and Debbie Troquille. We’ve been partnering with them for a few years now hosting these meetings for church leaders as God opens doors for us. We’ve held academies in Burundi, Malawi, and this coming week in Liberia.
What’s especially exciting is the fact that those attending come from different churches. If you’ve hung out in the church world for any length of time, you have likely noticed that it’s often a struggle to get churches to work together. Some will cite doctrinal differences, others just don’t like to move out of their familiar circles.
It’s worth the red eye and a little lipstick
So, I’m looking forward to the coming week. While we have been invited to teach, I usually come away from these kinds of meetings having learned more, I think, than the students. Every church has their own special expression that God has given to them. I can learn about evangelism from the Baptists and endurance from the Brethren. The Pentecostals have taught me to loosen up and the Lutherans have taught me faithfulness. They have all enriched me.
As I recover from the “red eye” flight here in the airport, I don’t take this opportunity lightly. My week starts tomorrow (Friday evening) as I’ve been invited to speak to the women. Here in Africa, women’s roles are still very traditional. Even in the more “progressive” churches, women mostly stick to their traditional roles. And that doesn’t bother me. If I have to wear a head covering to be more effective, so be it. If I have to wear skirts and no make up so hearts are opened to the message, it’s a small price to pay to spend time with God’s people.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I sometimes sneak in a little lipstick, 💄It helps lessen the effect of the “red eye.”
Everyone, everywhere
The world is waiting, but the church has forgotten her mission, to reach everyone, everywhere. Instead of bemoaning our differences, why not embrace them and use them to our advantage? Not everyone will like my church, but they might like the one across the street. The mission isn’t about making our churches prestigious, it’s about Jesus and His message for the world. When we take ourselves out of the equation, it becomes much simpler because the love of God is simple. He loves the world, and so should we.
“Jesus said to his followers, ‘Go everywhere in the world, and tell the Good News to everyone.’”
Mark 16:15 NCV
