Back in January, once our appointment to serve the Church throughout the Middle East was announced and official, the Revolution had broke out in Cairo and there was a lot of concern expressed for us, even fear. After the recent events this weekend in Cairo, the same feelings of concern and fear are being expressed again, so i want to just post here what we had emailed to friends and family then...
R.A.S. stands for "Reticular Activating System" - and you have one. no, it's not like a GPS gadget or any other electronic device. it's not in your car or home, and you can't pick it up at the store. it's actually a cluster of nerve cells at the base of your brain stem. Keli and i read about it in a book by Mark Batterson last year...so why am i giving you this neurological definition? because several of you have had your RAS in high gear over the last few days as it relates to events in the Middle East, particularly as it relates to 2 of the 3 areas we're scheduled to spend significant time."We are constantly bombarded by countless stimuli--sights and sounds and smells. If we had to process or pay attention to all the stimuli, it would drive us crazy. The RAS determines what gets noticed and what goes unnoticed. Think of it as your radar system...You've experienced RAS...When you purchase a cell phone or clothing or car, it creates a category in your reticular activating system. You notice when someone is wearing your outfit at the same event. (Can you say awkward?) And the second you drive your new car out of the lot it seems like everyone is driving the same model. That is the function of the RAS. You didn't have a category for your clothing or ring tone or car before you bought them. you have a new cognitive category." (from In A Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day)
our conversations, in-boxes, and phone calls have all included RAS prompted statements like, "have you seen what's going on in ______"
events like these last few days have been taking place in these areas and other parts of the world for ages; however, those places jump off the page or out of the news story differently to you now because you know our calling and it places someone you know, dare i say even "care about", in the proximity of these events. And so, your RAS kicks in and says, "pay attention, this relates!"
Such mental promptings have led to a lot of concern, which is a partial function of RAS, and i want to address what God is doing here:
- praise - that these things are happening while we are still here and not yet there
- pray - RAS moments are used by the Spirit of God to prompt you to pray. pray for peaceful and purposeful resolution to these events. pray for the believers currently caught in the midst of these events that their love and faith will shine brightly to bring hope and a greater perspective. pray for our preparation to step into what will be and to help lead God's desired future.
- providence - this can be used by God for our good in that the created awareness is giving us a platform for connecting our mission with potential supporters who are becoming aware of the needs there
- and, principle - this is a reality check for all of us; do we really believe what we say? do we really believe that we're to boldly walk with God into the unknown for the sake of the call and the advance of His Kingdom, trusting our lives to His care? or is it all just rhetoric without the reality of risk?
For further information on these recent Cairo events, i refer you to this interview from CNN -- the interviewer attempts to make a bigger deal of these events, while the one being interviewed cautions such sensationalism and broad application of the events. Truly what we are learning is disconcerting; yet, this is NOT a wide-spread religious civil war.
"Where He leads me, i will follow..."
"Even though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death, i will fear no evil for Thou art with me..." (Psalm 23:4)
"But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship..." (2 Timothy 4:5)
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