Arthur Burk, a friend from California, is in the thick of a trip to Europe.
Recently he completed a leg of his trip that took him through Romania, one of the few places in Eastern Europe that is extremely precious to me.
Another friend of mine visited there 19 years ago on a missions excursion out of YWAM Tyler. We were Freshmen in college, and both Arthur’s trip and my other friend’s trip affected both men deeply.
What resulted is the following post on the Sapphire Leadership Group’s Facebook Page. These words sparkle and shimmer deeply, especially for those of you that are Redemptive Gift Exhorters. Read on for some strong truth, Sun, Moon, and Stars:
ROMANIA
Serina and I went to Romania after the Vienna event, to connect with some Noble Subjects there. It was our first venture.
We went with some fairly high expectations but the trip exceeded anything we had asked or imagined.
The congregation that hosted us is an Exhorter church with some decades of history behind it. In the history of the various leaders, then have made most of the mistakes common to Exhorters, and have suffered exquisite pain and large loss as a result of those violations of principles — both known and unknown.
To their credit, they have face every skeleton in their closet, made the hard choices, suffered some remarkable productive pain through the course corrections they made, and today they stand in an enviable position. there is a remarkably knit-together, wise core, and significant spiritual authority.
As you all know, my history with the Exhorter tribe has been challenging at best, because of the commitment to wallpaper over sin in the camp, in the name of love.
I have never before walked with an Exhorter congregation that has as thoughtfully and deliberately and carefully dealt with the issues that needed to be dealt with.
As Serina and I came into the circle of their love, it was an extraordinary experience of transparency and authority.
I taught on sundry topics during the short time we were there, and again and again, they have already dealt with the key issues, often not knowing why, but having their ears on.
We are so impressed with the fragrance of Christ that is around this group, and the pile of “dry firewood” waiting for a match. They have earned the right to speak into some issues in their community and we are on tiptoe with expectation to see where they go in the next chapter of their journey.
While my admiration from a Kingdom point of view is immense, in recognition of how they have positoned themselves for the work God for them, there was another story that played out in the background.
That was a measure of healing for me as I walked in safety in their midst. The non-reality of Exhorters in general has let them to be labeled in my mind as one of the least safe tribes to walk with.
Here, we laughed and cried and risked and battled and celebrated and worshipped. Through it all, there was never a bruise from any one of them, on any issue at all. And with my history, that is astounding.
So I am grateful for the long arm of G-d and His ability to multitask, as He advanced the Kingdom through our visit to them, and brought some long overdue healing to me, on the side.
One does have to ponder His reaching all the way to Romania, and choosing THIS congregation to pour the oil and wine on those wounds of mine.
I am grateful and looking forward to walking further with them. They definitely grace the term “Noble Subjects of the Great King” and we are honored to have them as part of our global tribe.
So encouraging!!