Give me Sebewaing or I die

Ed Stetzer’s seminars at district council really have me thinking. He told of how John Knox prayed “Give me Scotland or I die.” Do I care that much for the people God has given to me?

Stetzer also talked about the propensity for pastors to have demographic lust and community envy. He asked us, can we pastor in a culture that we don’t really like? In a church that doesn’t do things the way we want them too? Is it about our preferences or reaching the culture in which we are placed?

Wow. We just saw the church planters line up in front. One couple is planting to the pomo intellectuals in Ann Arbor. I leaned over to Elaine and said, “If we move to Ann Arbor when I’m working on my doctorate, lets go to that church.” I don’t really like blue collar culture. I hate going to walmart. Yet here I am in Sebewaing. I know that this is where God has called me. He has given me as a gift to these people and more important to me, he has given them to me.

God forgive me. Birth in me a love for my culture - for my city. May I be able to pray with my whole being, “God give me Sebewaing or I die. Give me Unionville or I die.”

Steve Bradshaw set out slips of paper with the names of towns and their populations - places that had no A/G church. As I was praying and wrestling with my lack of love, I saw Bay City pop 36,817. I knelt down by it. I placed my finger tips on it, praying for Bay City. I had a burden for Bay City. What does that mean? What do I do with this slip of paper? Do I lay it on the altar and relinquish it to God, saying Lord, send laborers into this field? Do I see this as a sign that I should leave here and plant in Bay City or is it a case of culture envy? I knelt there, my fingers caressing the paper for many minutes. I don’t know what to do with Bay City. The paper I left there on the floor. I feel God calling me to love my people, to love Sebewaing, to figure out how to effectively minister to blue collar culture and then maybe my people and I can do something about Bay City.

Getting up from that time of wrestling, any doubts are gone. I am growing in love toward my community.