“Ow de body?” is Sierra Leone’s greeting this month, and to which your reply could be, “De body fine.”
eTouch is a loveletter, an encouragement to you through words—and a few pictures—that have the flavor of the Fruit of the Spirit. Though eTouch is intended for those who have served—or are serving—with YWAM, all are welcome.
Honoring . . . A Lost Art, Or A Lost Grace?
Maybe both.
An art can be something acquired through practice; a grace can be a gift to be received—and given. First and foremost, honor is a heart issue, even before it is an action issue.
When I was a kid, almost all men and boys honored women and girls by opening doors and letting them enter first. And that was just one of many expressions of honor, normally given to women. That’s all pretty much gone today. Down the tubes has gone most chivalry.
To whom should we give honor? And why should we give honor—especially when people sometimes do dishonorable things to us (and everything inside us says, “Yucch, I’ll fix him—or her!)?
To whom should we give honor? Let me count the ways . . .
1. Obviously to God. Do you remember in Chariots of Fire, the movie about Eric Liddell’s run for gold at the Paris Olympics in 1924 . . . when he refused to enter the 200 meter race because it was on a Sunday; and when the American sprinter, Jackson Scholz handed Eric a scrap of paper on which he had scrawled, “Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained” (I Sam 2:30).
Regardless of what we might think about Sunday do’s and don’ts, here was a man who had the courage of his convictions and stood against fools who tried to wheedle him into compromise.
2. To Mom & Dad. Ah, we all know this one because it’s the Fifth Commandment and it leads to long life, right? But don’t forget the second part; “that it may go well with you in the land.” (Deut 7:16)
For much of my life I did not honor my parents. I never dissed them publicly, but I didn’t outwardly honor them either; to me they became irrelevant; they’d done their job, and from about age 13 I just went on with my ‘book of life’ as though their pages had been turned and I just needed to finish the book as best I could.
To my shame I never appreciated them—or honored them—while they lived. And they are the ones who gave me life! Today I can say that I truly honor them for the great sacrifices they made as missionaries to China, and for giving my siblings and me a safe place in our early years.
3. To Those in Authority. Teachers, pastors, policemen, politicians, ministry leaders, even firemen and others, can all act badly and do wicked things.
Each authority in our lives has been placed there by God (Rom 13:1), and we are to honor the position even if we cannot honor the leader’s words and actions.
4. To Others. All others? Adolf Hitler? Well, even he was made in the image of God, though sadly he—and many others—have trashed that sacred likeness.
How do we honor dishonorable people? If their behavior is truly contemptible, we should certainly not honor those types of behavior that simply demand forgiveness.
“Honor to whom honor is due.” (Rom 13:7). Honor is to prize highly, respect, exalt, and show affection and reverence to all; especially to those who gave you life.
And you know, those of us in the Western world have lost the art of receiving honor. We get all embarrassed and try to act humble, actually pushing merited honor away. It’s not necessarily prideful to be honored if the honor is deserved. Humility is the willingness to be known for who you really are.
“My Father will honor the one who serves me.” (John 12:26)
Till next time, be honoring.
Gems from Gene
Legalism is nothing but a leader’s way of avoiding suffering
Rules were invented by elders so they could get to bed early!
Men who speak endlessly on authority only prove they have none.
From A Tale of Three Kings, by Gene Edwards
Two Prizes
If you received multiple copies of eTouch last time, a cyber-stealth-goblin did it with a transmissional-globalator that resulted in the rare multiple-disseminational-worldwide-transference syndrome. Please forgive us.
So, we are offering prizes for two readers (no skimmers or deleters, please), who received the most copies of eTouch. Some were blessed with as many as 16 copies.
1st PRIZE! Lifetime subscription to eTouch
2nd PRIZE Honorable mention in next April 1st.
(Family members and employees excluded.)
Donna’s Corner
Truth Or Lies?
“The truth will set you free.” That’s what Jesus said, and He is the Spirit of truth. (John 8:31-32)
Jesus also said that He would send the Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of truth to live within us, and He will lead us into all truth. (John 14:15-16; 15:26-27; 16:12-15)
So often we believe lies, or we even start to doubt what God has said in His Word; or what He has said by the Holy Spirit. Believing lies leads to fear, unbelief and confusion. It can even lead to demonic oppression. If we start to believe the lies of the enemy, they will increase. After all, he is the father of lies. (John 8:44)
In teaching people how to listen to God, I’ve found that one of the biggest hindrances is when people do not believe truth. How can we have friendship with God or close relationship with Him if we don’t believe what He says?
Listen to the Spirit of God living within you, and ask Him, “Is that true?” If you still have doubts, ask someone who you know, someone who listens to God, and who shows the fruit of the Spirit in their lives. We need to strengthen each other by speaking truth into each other’s spirits and then we must believe truth ourselves.
The enemy’s first words in the Garden of Eden were, “Did God really say?” (Gen 3:1) When we believe lies, doubt comes in and intimacy with God is broken because of lack of trust.
The enemy seems to have dominion over the airwaves, so . . .
be very careful that what you hear is what was said.
Love and Blessings,
Renewal Camps
July 25-30: Norway (Skjærgårdsheimen, perhaps the most beautiful location in all of YWAM). Mark & Jill Herringshaw, former pastors of a very large Lutheran church in Minneapolis/St Paul, Minnesota, will be the speakers—they are now North American Coordinators for YWAM Associates.
Contact: Lidvard Andreassen – lidvard@online.no
Aug 7-13: France (Le Gault la Forêt) Champagne region, near Paris, with Daniel Schaerer, former YWAM France Director: “Our Destiny in God.”
Aug 18-21: Switzerland (Burtigny) near Geneva, with Eliane Lack.
France & Switzerland Camps: www.ywamassociates.eu
And Finally . . . Boy Meets Girl God’s Way
Observation, Attraction, Commitment, Covenant,
Intimacy, Multiplication, Celebration . . .
Peter Jordan, Editor
Copy Editor: Laurie Jordan-Worrall
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