August 2018
The Scandinavian Scandal
Not many months ago, on a missions base in a Nordic nation (which shall remain nameless, except to say that its name begins with the letter ‘N’ and always wins the most medals at the Winter Olympics), my hidden hypocrisy came home to roost. I had a crisis in bed.
Donna and I had just arrived to direct a Renewal Camp, and were guests in a comfy little flat; I was already in bed, jet-laggedly trying to read a magazine, and barely able to stay awake. Donna was in the tiny bathroom, preparing to retire for the night.
Suddenly I heard an un-muffled scream from Donna. The flushing mechanism for the ‘BC’ (‘Bathroom Commode’ as our friend Dan Sneed and his Baptist friends like to call it), was driven by a kind of pulverizing, motorized blender that is intended to propel its ‘cargo’ at the speed of light through pipes to wherever that sort of cargo goes. But not this time!
A pipe fitting had burst. Try to imagine the scene: the floor flooded with a noxious cocktail, the disgusting odor permeating the whole apartment. Showing my true colors, I pulled the blanket over my head and said to myself, “This is not happening and I am not here.” Donna appealed to me for help. I couldn’t move. I was in agony and in the valley of decision, weakly suggesting that she get someone to call someone. I went deeper under the covers. I willed myself to be somewhere else. My will was not that powerful.
After a phone call, help came, it was one of the staff. He immediately started to gag and had to leave. A younger staff guy, three weeks off his honeymoon, arrived to render assistance, and temporarily patched up the pipe. Donna started mopping. “I am a coward, I am a coward,” I repeated over and over. I go a little deeper under the covers and try to sleep. My acute sense of discernment tells me that Donna is not impressed.
Donna then waded back into the quagmire of effluence, wearing a pair of Crocs, and swabbed things up, using about 500 rolls of paper towel and a mop. She turned on the tap in the shower to rinse the mop and ‘thar she blows’ again; every drop of everything, goes through that ‘blender,’ even the shower water. So once more she got sprayed. But the coward is feigning sleep. He’s been praying that a special ‘BC’ angel will appear with a giant vacuum cleaner, offering comfort and cleanup for Donna. The stink is beyond description. I scrunch down, deeper still beneath the flimsy protection offered by the blanket.
When all that could be done was done, Donna comes to bed mumbling that it is all fixed—someone had come by and apologetically mended the leak. There is a chill in the bed. I burble a weak, cowardly apology and try to go to sleep. Not likely, though my exhausted darling immediately drops off. It’s 1:30am and I’m in for a long night.
By 4am I am still jet-laggingly and bad-conscience-ly wide awake, and so I sneak out of bed. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Bathroom looks OK, but the smell, well, it still defies description. Donna, I learned later, had sprayed everything with Eternity perfume and it produced an interesting bouquet of fragrances. But I press on with my early ablutions, thinking that maybe I can escape to another country, far away.
I confidently flush. Bad decision. She blows again. No paper towels left so I use toilet paper, rolls and rolls and rolls of it. I more or less get things mopped up, patch the pipe again, and dare to take a shower. The pipe holds. I complete my morning routine and get out of there. The stench is worse than you can imagine.
I decide not to run away, so I make coffee and sit down to wait for Judgment Day. It comes. I weakly stammer, “Like some coffee, dear?” Then some more humbling and asking for forgiveness, but the air is still pretty cool, and I don’t mean the Celsius kind of cool. We’re not ready to laugh about things yet . . . maybe in about 50 years.
That morning as we’re sitting in a meeting, I become aware of the reek of the Eternity cocktail again. I sniff our clothes. Nothing there. Then I notice Donna is wearing her ‘wading’ Crocs which she had simply rinsed off. Not good enough.
Later we move all our belongings to another room in another building. It is far enough away. I think. The old apartment is temporarily condemned, and a new BC will be installed. I hope it is a regular one where just water and gravity take care of things.
Finally, Donna laughs. Long and loud. Everybody else laughs too. I wrote and told the story to my kids and they lol-ed their heads off.
But not me; not the coward, not the exhorter of husbands. I was re-living the Night of Horrors.
So husbands, remember what the bible says to us: “Love Your Wives . . . and be willing to lay down your life for them. Surely, a real man would be willing to help his wife in such a disaster as I have described. But even though I failed on that one, she still loves me.
Many Blessings,
Here & There
You never reject anyone into wholeness. Jack Hayford
Behavior is a function of my decisions,
not my circumstances. Don Stephens
It is not my situation that makes me happy or miserable;
it’s the way in which I react to it. Dan Sneed
The world entertains people;
Christians show hospitality.
Darlene Cunningham
New Movie Opening August 17th
Click here to watch the movie trailer
David L. Cunningham, son of YWAM founders Loren and Darlene, and a team of YWAMERS have a new movie coming out this summer called ‘Running for Grace’ that stars Jim Caviezel (‘The Passion’, ‘Person of Interest’) and Academy Nominated Matt Dillon (‘Outsiders’, ‘Crash’).
Set in 1920’s Hawai’i, ‘Running for Grace’ is about a young orphan named “Jo” who is half Japanese and half white. In the age of segregation he is rejected by both communities and eventually taken under the wing of the new plantation doctor played by Matt Dillon. Jo becomes the “medicine runner” for the Japanese coffee pickers and eventually wins over the small community of immigrant workers. However, Jo’s forbidden love with the plantation owner’s daughter “Grace” brings the whole community to a boiling point. This is a film for the entire family with themes of identity, adoption and romance.
It is key that we get behind this movie as that will determine the length of time it is available. Please consider pre-buying tickets through your local cinema or if you are interested in being a sponsor and hosting a group please click here to contact David.
The movie will also become available on iTunes, Amazon Prime and Premium on Demand from August 17, so you can watch it at home with the whole family. Please spread the word about this film and keep an eye out for King’s Mansion in the movie and be sure to stay for the credits as you are sure to find many YWAMers you know.
Movie made by YWAMERS coming out in August 17—certain U.S. cities only.
CONFIRMED LOCATIONS—two shows per/day, matinee and prime time:
Atlanta: Colonial 18 Dallas: Firewheel Town Center 18
Houston: Willowbrook 24 Kansas City: Barrywoods 24
Tampa: Bradenton 20 Denver: Highlands Ranch
Phoenix: Ahwatukee 24 Minneapolis: Eden Prairie Mall 18
OC – Orange 30 Chicago – AMC Crestwood
Orlando – The Villages Rialto
Check out the movie’s Facebook page
Read what Darlene & Loren Cunnungham have to say about this movie — click here!
Resting In His Presence
Someone said to me a few days ago, “I want to stay in His presence; how can I do that?”
As the Lord said to Moses, “My presence will go with you and I will give you rest.” [Exodus 33:14] Moses’ reply was, “If your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us. What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
The Lord was pleased with Moses’ response. [Read Exodus 33:7-20]
Is the Lord pleased with you? Ask Him. I ask Him often because my heart’s desire is to please Him. It’s wonderful that God sees our hearts. I make mistakes, but God sees my heart even though others can’t—sometimes even those close to me.
Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest . . .“ [Matt 11:28-30] We must come to Him, sit at Hs feet and listen to Him. He will lead us and guide us as a gentle shepherd leads His sheep and lambs. [John 10:11-18; 27-30] Listen to Him, not the voice of others or the enemy—not even those with bright minds—that are being deceived. If we seek His will, we won’t be deceived.
“He makes us to lie down in green pastures and restores our souls.” [Ps 23] With so much activity and busyness in the world, sometimes He has to MAKE us lie down and rest, so that we can be restored, and as we listen to Him. He quietens us with His love. [Zeph 3:17]
Anxiety is increasing, so, “Cast ALL your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” [1 Peter 5:7] “An anxious heart weighs a man down but a kind word cheers him up.” [Prov 12:25] “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” [Phil 4:6]
It’s not just knowing the truth but putting that truth into practice. Thanksgiving and praise take us into His presence when we worship Him. Derek Prince said, “The great enemy of worship is self-centeredness.” We want to become one with Him, with His Spirit. We worship with Him in Spirit and in Truth. [John 4:23-24] Worship is comm-union with God.
We must die so He can live through us, and we must submit our minds to Him so they can be renewed. He is the light of the world and we are to reflect Him. The world is getting darker so God’s people must become brighter. We daily die to our desires and ask Him to lead us. When we walk close to Jesus, His desires become ours. We choose to include Him and His presence.
It’s amazing when you meet others who live this way—you can easily sense His presence because you are one in the Spirit, even if you didn’t know each other, or their journey. You can have immediate fellowship with one another. [1John1:6-7] You both want to please the Father.
“May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” [2 Cor 13:14] As we travel this journey, taking one day at a time in His presence, He will never leave us nor forsake us. Sadly, sometimes we leave Him, or don’t include Him.
Love and Blessings,
For Something a Little Different . . .
After several years of cogitation, contemplation, consideration and ponderation, and after overcoming my fears of inappropriateness, I have launched a blog. It is quite different, not terribly ‘spiritual,’ and is really intended to contain short stories and bursts of mostly humorous stuff, quite a bit of which is from my YWAM years.
The blog started back in May, and I’d like to invite you to take a ‘gander’ at it—and if it appeals to you, sign up to Follow it regularly.
Go to: thedailysheepdip.wordpress.com – you can read all the back issues and it’s FREE!
(You may wonder why its called The Daily Sheep Dip, since it publishes weekly; that’s supposed to be part of the humor. Check out the Masthead when you open it up.)
Back to normal next time!
Blessings,
The Small Print that often gets missed (but is important to us!)
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