News from the Burdsall's
Hello!! Feels like we have had a busy few weeks and a lot to write about and update on. Hopefully this won’t get too long! Wanted to start with some thoughts from my weekend. I was able to attend Without Borders, a conference put on by Crescent Project specifically about reaching out to Muslim women. It was packed full of information, practical tips, testimony, and managed to be informative, worshipful and inspiring all at once. If you ever get a chance to attend, I would recommend.
The info at the conference was great, but a couple challenges stood out to me, dealing with how much importance Jesus has in our life, and also how we view God’s power. The message was reiterated that when we reach out to Muslims, we are not trying to “convert” them, we are sharing Jesus. Of course we pray that once they see Jesus they will want to be with him, but we have to remember that this is God at work and not our own strength alone. And to share Jesus well, we first have to love Jesus deeply ourselves, and love others with the love He pours into us for them.
Then, I heard over and over from women that had come either from persecuted parts of the world, or from a culture where conversion was forbidden. Many had lost everything because of faith in Jesus, but what each one said was that Jesus was enough.
“What is more I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” Philippians 3:8
I love that verse, but haven’t before considered the real power behind Paul’s words, and it was convicting to hear this message shared. Is Christ enough for me? Can I say that? I stress about sharing my faith because someone might not talk to me afterward. I stress about following God to London because it means so much change and upheaval. It was hard to reach out to our Muslim friends in Sioux Falls because it took up so much time. The other question then is why isn’t Christ enough for me? Am I holding back because of fear, or a lack of belief in God’s power? Do I hesitate because I wonder if He will really work?
I wanted to share because I think many of us in the western world forget that God is powerful. We see miracles done around the world within the persecuted church and we forget that the same Spirit and power and miracle worker lives in us here, we have just gotten bogged down with too much “stuff” to see and remember his power. We need to see Him as enough for us, and rest in His hands rather than in the changing world around us. Praying for you all and praying for myself- that we can all remember and take to heart that God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love. (2 Timothy 1:7)
In His Grace,
Colleen, for Scott and the kids