1) We have waaaaaay too much stuff, and
2) Our schedule is waaaaaay too full.
So yesterday, despite everything inside me pulling me to work, I created some Sabbath margin. I resolved not to ask the kids to do their schoolwork (though clearly they have loads of stuff to catch up on after our trip.) For me, I resolved to not do anything that was required. Sure, I could have utilized the entire day to study MY schoolwork, but chose not to. It was hard. I mean hard! It's almost like my self-worth is wrapped up in how many things I can check off my list in a day. Sitting still is just plain hard.
Here's how things played out.... I started my morning easing back into a Kay Arthur study I'm doing on Isaiah. Such a rich text! Then I went to have breakfast at a friend's house. Such rich conversation! Then I came home and finished reading the Rosaria Butterfield book I had started in San Diego. (By the way, "Secrets of an Unlikely Convert" is maybe 20% about her coming-to-Christ story and the rest about what God is doing with her life after. It's full of amazing stories of fellowship, compassion, foster care and adoption.)
Then I started another book: "Dreams and Visions, Is Jesus Awakening the Muslim World?" by Tom Doyle.
I literally could not put this book down. I decided to take a drive, grab a bite to eat and then sat by myself in a Mexican food restaurant and kept reading! That Jesus is coming in dreams and visions to the Muslim world is not a new concept to me. Our church supports some missionaries in Muslim majority countries and they tell miraculous stories about this kind of thing. Real life. Almost every week.
But here's what got my attention in the preface, "I believe Islamic terrorism is Satan's attempt to keep the gospel message away from Muslims. The enemy thinks that if he can make the rest of us hate them, then he can short-circuit Jesus' church from reaching the Muslims. But that isn't working. Jesus has stepped in and is opening Muslim hearts Himself."
I feel like I'm on this journey to learn more about people that are different than me. To dispel fear. To open my eyes and really see people as Jesus does. This lesson recently came into focus in a new client I've been working with in Seattle. He is a CPA and has several non-profit clients. The range is vast. Helping the homeless, helping the marginalized, helping the refugee. I am excited about this work. But it scares me a little, because in my accounting life, I've only helped "business people" or people I know. The non-profit world is messy.... ANYWAY, back to "Dreams and Visions" (can you tell I'm excited to share about this book??)
I won't give it all away, because I really think American Christians should just read this for themselves. There are 9 parts to the book and each describes stories of dreams and visions in various parts of the Muslim world. In Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Israel/Gaza, Afghanistan and the final chapter talks about Muslims in the U.S.
The stories of how God has worked in so many different lives completely drew me in. But I also learned a lot about Islam that I did not know. On page 129, Doyle mentions the two objections most Muslims have with Christianity: "You Christians worship three gods" and "Your Bible has been corrupted." Those are hard to overcome when simply trying to share the Bible with someone, right? And the other thing is, worldwide, Muslim illiteracy is around 80%. So not only can't they read the Bible with you, they probably haven't really read the Quran either. It's oral tradition and generations of family that back up what the Muslim believes.
"But God. Rich in mercy. You came to save me. Now I'm alive. But God. Strong and mighty. You reached down for me. So I could rise. Now I'm alive."~~chorus to "Alive" from Big Daddy Weave.
But God. The book describes that in almost 200 Muslim background believer interviews the pilgrimage starts with a dream or vision, "then the Father miraculously lays the Word in their hands and brings a near-culture or in-culture Believer to explain to them their dreams/vision and what they have read." (p133-134) And knowing they could be killed for leaving Islam, the love of Jesus is so real and so strong, they can do nothing but follow Him. That commitment is real.
In short, I was able to breeze through this book's 268 pages in one day. I got it at the public library. The author says that God is able to move the Muslim heart through dreams and visions partially because Muhammad's revelations also came through a vision. They put a lot of stock in dreams...especially so, dreams of Jesus, who gives them a feeling of love like they've never felt. If I am supposed to be loving like Jesus loved, then I think I still need to work on my delivery.
P.S. Besides reading the book and taking a nap, I must confess, I did clean out the dishwasher and started a load of laundry. Still "working" on defining Sabbath.
......."The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.........." (Exodus 34:6-7)
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