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Rochester
L'Abri Newsletter Fall
2002 ............................................................................................................................... Do
not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God,
which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your
minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
Dear
Friends of Rochester L'Abri,
It
was one of those 'moments' that you read about in The L'Abri Story.
It was the end of August, and Nancy and I were leaving the next day
for a three-week vacation. I had paid most of the branch expenses,
but we still had a significant shortfall, as I could neither pay salaries
or medical premiums for the month. In Rochester we have never before
had such a shortfall. Was I anxious? Yes, and losing some sleep as
well. I spoke with Jim in Switzerland, who is the treasurer for L'Abri
international, and he said that they faced a similar situation in
Swiss L'Abri. Moreover, most of the money in the General Fund had already
been designated for English L'Abri. And there was also a large bill
still to pay for the publication of the L'Abri International Newsletter.
And
then a phone call came Sunday afternoon. Some friends had wanted to
send a gift earlier, but were only now getting around to it. I did
not mention the amount needed, but their generous gift made it possible
to cover the entire shortfall! I was overwhelmed with the timing and
provision of the Lord to meet our needs. The Lord knew we had a busy
summer, that we were tired emotionally and physically, and, looking
back, this last- minute provision was one way the Lord was both encouraging
and beckoning us to go on trusting Him. God's grace at times is evident
in unexpected ways, sometimes in quite dramatic ways, but more often
his grace is seen in the ordinary, if we but have eyes to see.
After
a busy summer in Rochester, the McGregors and Snyders attended the
L'Abri summer conference in Hamilton, Ontario. Although we all wished that more people
had been able to attend, at the same time it was a great encouragement
to see former students that we knew in Switzerland and England, and
to hear how they have gone on with the Lord, sometimes through great
difficulties and many struggles.
I am reminded of Psalm 107, and that in our walk with the Lord
God, there are lots of bumps and struggles, unwise decisions that
we make, and even some circumstances that we get caught up in not
of our own making. But the psalmist also reminds us that God's grace
is at work to redeem a people and bring us into a safe haven.
After
the last lecture on Saturday evening some of us got together and went
to a free, outdoor concert by Bruce Cockburn in Gage Park in Hamilton.
He captures so well in his songs what it means to live in a world
not yet fully redeemed, yet also like the psalmist, he reminds us
of the reality of grace and forgiveness and the presence of the living
God, and that there is a safe haven that is our true home. It was
a moment of grace under the starry heavens on a warm summer night
in Hamilton, Ontario.
At
the airport, while going through customs, I was reminded again of
how God has used L'Abri in the lives of countless individuals unknown
to any of us working in L'Abri. Waiting for our custom's agent to
examine our passports, and after what seemed like a longer than usual
time, the agent looked up and asked, "How is L'Abri doing now?
I read some of Dr. Schaeffer's books years ago." He had read
in the McGregors passport on their visa form the organization that
they work for. This brief encounter was a reminder that 'ripples'
still radiate from decisions made 50 years ago when a small family
entrusted their lives to the living God and trusted him to bring the
people of his choice to a tiny village of Huemoz. We do not see all the ripples, but God does. It is important
for us to remember that our choices are real and that the Lord of
history is weaving together a tapestry that one day will astound us.
In this life we oftentimes only catch a glimpse of what God is doing,
but each glimpse comes as a gracious and gentle reminder.
Another
gentle reminder of His grace...In September Nancy and I were able
to have a much needed vacation at a friend's condo in Colorado near
the Rocky Mountain National Park.
While there we attended the wedding of a friend from my hometown
in Ohio. Providentially, the wedding took place only 15 miles from
where we were staying! The Indian Head Mountains were the background
for the open-air chapel at the YMCA camp of the Rockies. It was a
glorious day bright with autumn colors. The minister who performed
the service was from Nigeria! Both he and his wife and children were
dressed in their colorful Nigerian dress. Afterwards, I had a wonderful
talk with Joseph, and found out that he, too, had read Dr Schaeffer's
books while in seminary. Without hesitation, he described Schaeffer's
work as "brilliant."
Listening
to Joseph's wedding sermon, I was thankful that the kingdom of God
knows no bounds. The service was another glimpse of God's redeeming
grace, and Joseph's presence reminded us all that there is another
kingdom that transcends all of the nations of the 21st century. Because
" we acknowledge a king men did not crown and cannot dethrone,
so we are citizens of a city of God they did not build and cannot
destroy." Because we acknowledge such a king, we are one family
in the Lord.
So,
the apostle Paul reasons in his epistles, we must demonstrate that
unity in love and understanding, holding fast to that which unites
us, and not allowing differences to divide. While probably under house
arrest in Rome, he writes to the believers in Ephesus that they are
to "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through
the bond of peace. 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."
Possibly a year later he writes to the believers in Philippi that
they "then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having
the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of
selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others
better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own
interests, but also to the interests of others."
We
all have had similar experiences, I am sure. But I am also sure that
we do not always see how much of the ordinary and common is suffused
with the grace of God. I
guess that what I am trying to say in this letter is that we should
be more keenly aware of how God
isat work in the world and in our lives. Our proper response
is joy and thanksgiving. How very different from the boredom that
John Alexander says is the real problem of secularism! The joy of
grace revealed and grace encountered in the lives of individuals through
God's providential care is what lead Dr Schaeffer to exclaim over
and over again, that he just could not understand how a person could
not be excited about Christianity. In closing, I am reminded of the
words of St. Augustine, that as citizens of the City of God we should
be "a hallelujah from our head to our toes."
What's
been happening in Rochester... -We
had eight students stay with us this summer, some for the full seven
weeks, others for shorter times, and right in the middle of the term
we hosted a wedding reception for John and Anne Woodard. -Karen
Alston came in the middle of the term to help with the wedding and
was a great help to us in L'Abri as well. We appreciate so much her
willingness to help. -Jeremy
Huggins came as a helper for the summer term. He is a recent grad
from Covenant Seminary and swings a wicked softball bat. For our side!
Jeremy was also able to help with the summer retreat. -
When we returned from the Canadian conference, Jock and Alison had
one day to pack and get ready for the Saint Louis Retreat they were
hosting at the Kramer farm southwest of St. Louis. This was the first
L'Abri Retreat during the summer, and it was a very good beginning
with lots of interest. -Then
Jock was away for10 days teaching in Switzerland. For many years now
he has been invited back to teach a course on worldviews, and we believe
this is an invaluable teaching opportunity. -The
outreach at St.Olaf has gone well. Last year L'Abri provided five
lectures on campus, and this year Jock has scheduled three lectures
there between now and the end of term. -A
milestone for Jock and Alison was receiving their green cards this
summer. They are now permanent residents. They came into the country
on a short-term visa that would have limited their stay, so we are
thankful that their status is now clarified. -We
were delighted that Donald Drew was with us for a week in early October.
He gave two wonderful lectures on Shakespeare and C.S. Lewis at the
L'Abri house, in addition to speaking at Borders in Saint Paul, St.Olaf
College and Schaeffer Academy. We only wish his time with us could
have been longer. -We
were also thankful that Dr Jennifer Alexander of the U of MN and Dr
Mark Chavalas of the U of WI were able to lecture for us this fall. -Larry
will be traveling to Korea for two weeks at the end of October. L'Abri
will be dedicating a new residential house east of Seoul in Yang Yang,
and the trustees were invited to attend. We will be having our semi-annual
trustee's meeting there, and will also be participating in two conferences
for Korean leaders and students from October 21-26. A Korean businessman
has offered to pay half of all the airfares for the trustees, for
which we are very thankful. With
much appreciation for your prayers and encouragement, The
next student term will be from November 4-25. Lectures
Nov
22 Larry Snyder | Christian Liberty:"Perfectly Free Lord
of all, Perfectly Prayer
concerns -for
the Lord to bring the students whose time with us would be helpful -finances
are always a matter of prayer, but especially now it seems -for
the planning and hosting of the St. Louis L'Abri Retreat Jan 3-17 -our
upcoming Rochester conference February 7-8, 2003 -the
possibility of Edith visiting again in the spring -the
ministry to medical students in conjunction with our local church -outreach
to St. Olaf college students ............................................................................................................................... Phone
and Fax (507) 536-0108 - our e-mail address is Rochester@labri.org L'Abri
website at www.labri.org ............................................................................................................................... Winter
Conference Rhythms
of Grace and The Glory of God February
7-8, 2003 Kahler
Hotel, Rochester, MN
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