A Dream to Realize - A Promise to Keep

Almost 22 years ago, Maria-Luz Roda Bautista became my wife and immigrated to the United States of America. Though many who casually observed our union assumed she was eager to come to the U.S. and live the good life, all those who truly knew her understood that accepting my proposal and following me to minister in various ministries, missions and outreaches in the inner cities of the US and around the world meant stepping away from deep involvement with a tremendous ministry in the Philippines. In many ways, it was for her a heart-rending decision. When she left, Luz always dreamt of reestablishing a deeper presence of ministry in the Philippines for us. We nurtured that vision through financial support, by sending others to the Philippines as both short-term and career missionaries and always dreaming we ourselves might be able to do more than just participate in a once in a while ministry visit that had to piggy back on urgent family business as a condition of our return.

As I write, My Luz is now on her way to the realization of this 22 year-old dream and the promise I made to her that we would one day re immerse ourselves in mission involvement in the Philippines beyond giving and sending others. For the last 4-5 years, we have been laying the ground work for what we sensed was the Lord’s moving us towards the opportunity to bring our dreams into the realm of reality. Through the pioneering ministry efforts of her Brother Ramon and his wife Nene, we have all worked together to establish a beachhead in the Bohol community with a broad spectrum of ministry that includes very needy families in extremely poor conditions, street children and college boarding students away from home.

Thanks to the involvement of our home church, Grace Church in Racine, we have made significant steps towards building upon the foundational elements of ministry we’ve been establishing in Bohol. For starters, our church collected supplies for over 200 children which we shipped a week ago for the children we have supported in Manila and Bohol. Luz has 4 duffel bags of supplies she is hauling by herself to distribute immediately upon her arrival that not only have those supplies, but contain hundreds of Ziploc bags that will assist us in distributing rice Luz will purchase with donated funds for hundreds of families! It is our desire to assist the growth of the mercy ministries we've help to start there and to partner with local churches to minister on a broad scale including church development, poverty relief and educational support with deep and lasting impact. Luz will recon the areas we have targeted, plot a course for our next steps and prepare the way for a team we hope to send from Grace Church Racine in 2012. Luz is ecstatic and we’re thrilled as a family to be directly engaged in ministries we have prayed for and supported for so long.

The time Luz will spend in the Philippines will be both challenging and fulfilling. I will try to keep everyone abreast of her progress and prayer concerns. Thanks to all of you, our friends, for your encouragement and support over the years and for this mission in particular. This is only the beginning of a great opportunity to serve others and bring greater glory to God. Stay tuned and stay prayerful! Until Next time…


Sam.

What Happens In India...Must Be shouted From the Rooftops!

Greetings Everyone! Thank you so much for support our team and families in your prayers, assistance and through your on-going encouragement as we served on special assignment in NE India. There is more to share than can possibly be shared and an abundance of blessings for which to give thanks. Though the volume of information is great, I must share a few highlights to give you at least a taste of what the Lord did in us and through us on our visit.

Our Team experienced some trials – Our veteran member Nancy - was injured on our first day in country and soldiered on for several more days before having to return a bit early to ensure her injuries could be repaired before any major damage was done. Nevertheless, she made sure that several projects close to her heart including a special project to distribute new shoes via the ministry Samaritan’s Feet, were in place before her departure.

Chris Simanek, a great friend and brother in the Lord gets highest accolades in his selfless willingness to assist Nancy in returning to the US. While in India, actually his second trip there, Chris managed to locate and encourage some friends who are conducting some wonderful ministry there, met with a child he is sponsoring, encouraged the child’s family and many of their neighbors, and gave a testimony that warmed many hearts among the men in the community and opened some significant doors for ministry that might have otherwise remained much more difficult to open.

Katie and Karen were the Dynamic Duo of the team, and took the ministry project community by storm. No Bug, Bomb or nasty Bathroom in their path could stop their momentum or quench their enthusiasm as they ministered to moms, children and everyone else they encountered. Their joy and enthusiasm was viral and blessed the children of the project and the ministry staff who serve them day after day during our entire time in NE India. It was not possible for them to fail in sharing the love of the Lord in all of their dealings during our stay!

Though we were blessed to see the Lord work in many ways while there, I was especially blessed by the opportunity we had to minister to the fathers. I had inquired about teaching opportunities that might be available once we arrived. I felt an unshakeable and unrelenting conviction that the Lord had something in store using a time of teaching as the platform. I was struck by the need to connect to fathers once we arrived at the project and began asking more pointed questions regarding how we might reach out. The Compassion Team and Hope Church leaders were very eager to assist and put the word out that we would have a teaching time for dads concerning alcohol use and gambling – two major problems among men who work in the Tea Plantations. We started with a handful in attendance. Nevertheless, as we shared, the word spread and we ended up with over 60 and a request for another session later that week. We were able to have another session two days later where we made even further headway and we’re looking into ways we can incorporate some more targeted assistance and encouragement in the areas of substance abuse recovery and parenting skills into our next team.

I would be very remiss in not mentioning the amazing Compassion Team, their US and Indian logistic staffs and Team leaders, the translators, the Compassion Ground Ministry Experts, the Hope Church Leaders and the Ministry volunteers in place at the project sites. These brothers and sisters set the bar in terms of excellence, dedication and devotion to duty. They were literally tireless in their efforts to serve us and the people to whom they are called to minister. They suffered and sacrificed to allow us to not only serve but enjoy our time in Inida in comfort, style and relative ease. These folks are truly the “Crème de la crème’! Bless them and those like them! Way too few of them around!!

As our time wound down, we discovered that we had made many new friends and identified some promising prospects for ministry in the future. Thank you all for standing with us in prayer. I was truly blessed in my first Grace Church International mission and look forward to other International trips in the future. I, my teammates and others who cheered us on are also extremely excited to inject the same level of enthusiasm and focus into our missions efforts here at home. In fact, I was struck by how similar some of the challenges are between cultures – problems of relationships, family and work. The heartbreak of loss, betrayals and disappointments. The hurdles of cyclic poverty and generational discouragement. The grinding battle of disease and health concerns. I believe that our efforts in other nations help provide clarity to serve in our own backyard, and that service here compels us to share all that we know in other places for God's glory. The Lord has given us much to do. I pray you, our friends, will continue to lift us up in prayer as we press on in His service “Here, there and everywhere”! Blessings on you all!



Your Friend and Servant,



Sam Jackson

“Say It Loud! I’m…?” Some thoughts on Cultural Identity and Labels

After returning home from a mission trip to India, familiar sights and sounds flooded my senses and the US Customs official’s greeting soothed my soul: “Welcome Home”. Indeed, there’s no place like home, and it’s especially satisfying after returning from a long journey abroad. This was definitely the case when my daughters greeted me today! The welcome I received from them today must be a lot like the experience one receives when arriving at Heaven’s Gates! How sweet it is! Nevertheless, I often find that my times abroad have an interesting spin as an African-American. In other countries, observers sometimes look at my face and pigment in a more refined way, and can often identify characteristics not limited to one continent. On this last visit to India, one friend pulled me aside and after wrestling with his curiosity directly asked me “Where are you from? I know you’re from America, but I see many people in your face and actions. Where are your people from?” It was actually a very insightful question. Where are my people from? It’s a very important question in a world where many people know who their ancestors are back to many generations and where one’s birth language and name connote a history, a culture and a heritage that definitively informs you of who you are, where you come from and how you view the world and the people in it.

You might be thinking, “Sam, this is a curious topic considering you just came back from a mission trip to India and certainly have many things to report about what you observed.” True enough. Nevertheless, a friend’s question in a Facebook discussion regarding an article addressing racial labels and questioning the appropriate identity for the descendants of slaves in the US triggered my memory of the conversation with my friend in India and just wouldn’t go away. I understood his curiosity and his question caused me to think considerably about the way I describe who I am and where I come from. I also knew that any of the labels we typically use to describe the descendants of African Slaves in the US would be woefully deficient in answering his question satisfactorily. So, I set out to give an abridged history of “the Black Experience” in the US, focusing on what I know of my family history on my father’s side, which can be traced on paper back to a Mississippi slave owner born in the 1780’s. I concluded with the explanation that the people who share a similar heritage have been known by a number of labels over time, the latest of which is “African American”.

In my own lifetime, as the descendant of African slaves, I have been described by a number of labels which have resulted from attempts to create a meaningful identity for me and others who share my heritage. I heard the “N-word”. I’ve been called, “that colored boy”. I have checked the box marked “Negro” and said it loud, “I’m Black and I’m Proud!” I’ve also willingly used the term “African-American” with all of the intellectual processing that helped to establish it. Which one is best? I have no idea. Personally, I feel the term “Black” rolls easily off of the tongue, works great in song lyrics and just has more linguistic strength. Nevertheless, it still isn’t perfect, and doesn’t necessarily make logical sense in describing very light-skinned people of African descent like my mom, who in the eyes of many from outside our family’s context, would not have been easily identifiable as “Black” by a mere visual observation of her physical features alone.

In my evaluation, the persistent wrestling with terminology reflects the complex and painful history that is Black America. We tend to forget that once upon a time in our nation’s history slaves were intentionally and systematically stripped of their names, languages, cultural origins and any directly identifiable ties to the African continent. We also forget that steps were implemented to ensure those origins could never again be regained. The only lasting obvious connection is found in the physical features that remain present in the faces of Black Americans. In his book “Disintegration: The Splintering of Black America” Eugene Robinson postulates that what was once a monolithic Black American culture has now morphed into at least 4 distinct cultures which share a common origin traceable at one point or another to Africa, but having divergent views of the world today and the way each these groups process their places in it.

For those reasons, I’m not tied to any of these labels too tightly. I now check the box that says “African-American” and as late as last month, I’ve even responded positively to a dear older friend of an earlier generation who with no malice or intent to injure, referred to me as “colored”. Inside in my heart of hearts, I’m usually saying it loud, “I’m Black and I’m Proud!” Ultimately, I see myself as a human being and a child of God - a Christian committed to the service of Jesus Christ, seeking to be a peace with all people as much as it has to do with me. It is my greatest hope that others will be able to see Christ in me, and that in the words of the apostle Paul people will know that I desire to champion: “whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” Those are all attributes and labels I pray will be applied and that I pray will stick. Until next time…


Sam.

Over Yonder!

I will never forget the times during my growing up years when my parents informed my grandparents of our permanent changes of station or one of my father’s combat deployments. The response we’d invariably hear was, “Lord they sending that boy over yonder again!” As a vocational Christian worker, I have had several opportunities to minister in a variety of places in the United States and internationally as well. Those of you who check-in on my Blog and other postings may have noticed a significant slow down in production over the last several weeks. One of the major reasons for my less than prolific prose is that I have been preparing to go “Over Yonder” once more for the purpose of ministry.

If the Lord wills, as of this writing, later today, 9 February, 4 other members of Grace Church Racine and I will have the wonderful opportunity to experience the beauty, wonder and majesty of the vast country of India for an almost two-week period of ministry. We will visit some well-renowned sites and enjoy India’s splendor as well as having the privilege of being of service in some of the places where the needs are great and the opportunity for ministry is abundant. Perhaps the greatest blessing is that we will have the opportunity to work side by side with Indian brothers and sisters as we minister and continue building a partnership whose foundation has been laid by a major Christian relief organization. Our team will get to learn first-hand how our partners in ministry deal with very difficult ministry circumstances while maintaining hope, courage and an unwavering commitment to represent Jesus in all that they do.

Working together with people who are united in purpose and passionate about meeting the deepest need of others though the cultures and home locations may be miles apart, provides a powerful example of the unity the Lord desires to see in His people. The Bible tells us that, "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all" (Ephesians 4:4-6).

I am eager to experience a bit of that oneness over the next week and a half. Pray that our team and our ministry friends will be filled with the joy and peace that comes from walking with and knowing Jesus. Pray that our smiles will not diminish even as our energy may dwindle. Pray that when we reach out over these next days, even in our travel, the love of Jesus will shine through.

You may not hear from me for a little while as our internet capabilities will be spotty at best. Nevertheless, do keep me in your prayers and thoughts. I know I’ll have much to share upon returning and the “presses” will be glowing hot as I attempt to covey what the Lord has done! Keep the light on for us. I look forward to connecting again when we’re back from “Over Yonder”! Until next time…

Resolved without Resolutions

The resolutions have begun! As the ups and downs of 2010 are remembered, the victories are celebrated while the losses and setbacks are lamented. Many will vow to do better and be better in areas in need of improvement or even outright change. Yet, by the end of the first quarter, many of the promises made will have quietly disappeared from view and patterns of living will proceed unchanged from the year last lived.

It’s not my aim to discourage anyone who takes the time to make New Year’s resolutions – it is always a noble thought to strive to be a better person or to desire to improve some area of life. I do want to encourage those of us who may tend to “go through the motions” of making resolutions we have no real intentions of keeping to take advantage of the changing of the calendar by engaging in a more meaningful and doable exercise.

In the 90th Psalm, titled “A Psalm of Moses, the man of God” the author delivers a prayer that offers a simple guide for reflection that is very appropriate for the beginning of a new year. The prayer asks, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” None of us can guarantee the content of our tomorrows. We make plans that can evaporate into irrelevance when our circumstances unexpectedly change. A well thought-out plan for self-improvement can reasonably be relegated to the “back burner” of our daily priorities when a matter of extreme importance arises that calls for our immediate and undivided attention. However, obtaining the wisdom to navigate the uncertainties and manage the goals and aspirations in the ever-changing landscape of daily living is a priority that is never misplaced and always has the potential to bear fruit. Considering the words of the prayer of Psalm 90:12, remember that each day is precious. Make every day count. Don’t forgo telling friends and loved ones how you feel and allow opportunities to do good for others to pass you by with the thought, “I’ll get to it some other time.” The “other time” may not come. Also, seek to grow in wisdom and understanding each day. Learn from your mistakes and learn from your good decisions too. No experience need be counted as a total loss, when we allow that experience to add to our deposit of lifelong wisdom.

This year, be resolved to make everyday count for something good and seek to gain wisdom from every day you live. These truths may not be as “sexy” as New Year’s Resolutions, but they are much more applicable to the real situations you will encounter day in and day out. Do your best to put them to work this very day. Happy New Year and all God’s blessings on you as you continue on the journey! Until next time…


Sam.

21 Years of Confidence Amidst Uncertainty

Today marks the 21st year I have been blessed to have Maria-Luz Bautista Jackson by my side as my beloved wife. Each year as the day approaches, we generally find ourselves reflecting on some aspect of our wedding day and how far the Lord has brought us since that time. Last night, as we shared some of our thoughts, we both recounted some of the uncertainty we felt on our momentous day. When we met, though our initial contacts were hit and miss, it wasn’t long before we were both certain that something special was underway. Our love grew rapidly and deeply and before long, we were seriously discussing the possibility of marriage.



There were a number of challenges to consider and initially, there were many questions and concerns on the part of our most trusted friends and family members. After a time, however, it became evident to all that God was the architect of our relationship and “all systems were go for launch”! Nevertheless when our wedding day arrived, we both found ourselves staring in the mirror and wondering “What in the world am I doing?”



As we snuggled and reminisced about our doubts, Luz remembered having the urge to escape through a bathroom window and run for her life! I remembered having a strange inclination to do my own Jesse Owens imitation as the wedding party marched towards me and a strange flash of terror momentarily washed over me! Both were fleeting feelings, but sentiments that belied an acute understanding of the enormity of the step we were about to take!



What was it that overcame those instances of self-doubt and uncertainty? Our fears were mathced by a confidence that was built on what the group Boston referred to as “More than a feeling”. Our relationship began with a common commitment to our faith in Jesus Christ. We both had surrendered all of who were were and what we did to His control and authority. We both were committed to the institution of marriage and an unshakeable conviction that such a commitment is not to be made trivially or on the basis of a whim or hyped-up emotions. We both shared an understanding that left to ourselves, we were vulnerable to wreck our marriage as by definition of being human, we both brought baggage to the relationship – we would need God’s guidance, friends’ support and a commitment to working hard day in and day out if the marriage was going to work. We also believed we would need to love each other without stopping, understanding that love is ultimately based on action not emotion and a commitment to grow together and to give each other our all as long a we both lived.



The Lord has blessed us to work towards our commitments – notice how often that word creeps up – for 21 years today. We have not reached perfection, and in this life we never will. We are still very vulnerable to any and all of the torpedoes that routinely undo any marriage tragedy that has taken place in the totality of human history. Nevertheless, we have confidence in our great God, the presence of loyal friends and count ourselves as blessed for what we have enjoyed thus far in our journey. Why do we celebrate and why do I post an anniversary thought each year? Because “thus far the Lord has met us.” As the Apostle Paul said, if I boast I will boast in the Lord! God has been merciful to us through His goodness and your friendship and I am compelled to take this moment to say “THANKS!” Thanks for loving us, praying for us and standing by us! We feel the love and have been all the better for it. We promise to continue to do our best to make good on your investment in us through a staying the course through a life-long commitment of love within our marriage and a commitment of service and devotion to you our friends as well! Blessings on you and again thank you! Until next time…





Sam J.

Wrestling With My Inner Grinch!

The words have been rendered timeless by the well-deep baritone vocals of the late Thurl Ravenscroft (also the voice of Tony the Tiger), who declares without pity the sorry state of one of Christmastime’s most distasteful souls: “You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch!” The song’s first play of the season is guaranteed to bring a smile to parent and child alike. It is also a sure-fire conversation starter as listeners share fond memories of the first time they saw “The Grinch” or recall a favorite memory from the show.

One of the factors that make the Grinch such an embraceable story is that it is a tale about someone else. It’s about those “Other guys” who “just don’t get the real meaning of Christmas”. It was written to confront those “Poor Fellows” who, as they get caught up in the season, forget what Christmas is all about and wind up becoming a tragic display of self-centeredness and ill-will. The story of “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” could never really be about me…or could it?

A few days ago, in the midst of an unrellenting schedule of back to back ministry events, my phone buzzed. It was my daughter Joana. She was informing me of yet another change in her daily schedule that would encroach on my plans for the day - plans that were already strained painfully near the snapping point. Alone, I groaned and growled out loud. As my growl disappated into thin air my phone chirped again, this time with news from Luz that there were some more changes to our holiday schedule that called for my immediate attention. After hanging up, my growl became a roar. ARRGH!!!! I gnashed my teeth and turned on the radio for some consolation. As the signal kicked in, there was my song right on cue, “You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch! You really are a Heel! You’re as cuddly as a cactus, you’re as charming as an eel, Mr. GrinnnINCH!” As I backed out of the parking lot, I snickered at the words as usual, until I glanced in the rear-view mirror and thought for a nanosecond that my expression bore an uncomfortable resemblance to the subject of the song. When I looked in the mirror again, I saw someone more recognizable as myself, but the first image remained in my mind. Was I becoming “The Grinch”? Was I allowing the hustle and bustle of Christmastime not only to distract me, but to transform me into the personification of everything un-Christmas-like imaginable? It appeared to me that there was no denying that I was indeed becoming – The Grinch!

In just a few short moments, I had allowed my self-absorption to dampen the joy I desired to flow through me during this most holy season. My pursuit of “Holiday Madness” was coming dangerously close to causing me to forget the essence of what that first Christmas was all about. In my frantic pursuits, I was forgetting just how the power of that wonderful day should influence each day that I live as a Christian. In the 2nd Chapter of Philippians, not generally approached as a “Christmas Passage”, the Apostle Paul explains how Jesus’ birth and life among us should radically transform our attitudes in everyday life. He writes:

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!”

Humilty. Service. Obedience. Self-sacrifice. These are the attitudes that Jesus perfectly displayed in His Incarnation. His example reminds us that we must not be “Grinched” by our circumstances, our problems, or our inconveniences. Instead, we must focus on serving others, so that true joy can be manifested in us. This joy springs from the satisfaction of knowing we have conformed to the will of God by serving as His ambassadors in a hurting world. This Christmastime, I have already seen many examples of this joy as brothers and sisters in the faith reach out to the families of inmates, sing songs to shut-ins, and deliver holiday food packets provided for families who are “down on their luck”. I’ve also seen Christmas ambassadors at work in acts of kindness as simple as giving hearty holiday greeting or opening a door for someone who just needed a little help. As you navigate the maze of holiday activities, “Grinch-proof” your Yuletide by remembering the Reason for the joy of the season. Allow Him to adjust your attitude to one that is characterized by service to others and a mighty love that shines though at Christmas and all throughout the year. If the Grinch can be changed, you can too! Merry Christmas and God Bless us – Everyone! Until Next time…

Sam J.