{"id":21940,"date":"2019-03-01T05:02:14","date_gmt":"2019-03-01T13:02:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=21940"},"modified":"2019-03-01T05:02:14","modified_gmt":"2019-03-01T13:02:14","slug":"looking-back-to-see-forward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/looking-back-to-see-forward\/","title":{"rendered":"Looking back to see forward"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cI love change, as long as I can control it\u201d I have jokingly said this many times talking to people about the uncertainty that we face living in a world of change. I used to spend a day every few months moving the furniture in our apartment around to give me a sense of change in a world that sometimes seems monotonous. I have lived in our apartment for about 4 years without moving any furniture. I wonder if this is because these last four years I have seen a \u201crise of VUCA: volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span>1<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup> and my home is one of the few stable places. How we engage the complex world we live in, I believe, shows how well we are navigating the ever shifting sands that have been the foundations of our faith, our work and our life.\"\"<\/a> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

We have a joke when crossing the street, <\/span><\/span><\/span>\u201clook all 7 directions before you cross\u2026even up.\u201d I know you are sitting and reading this trying to count how there are seven directions to look. You don\u2019t need to do that, the meaning is look all directions and keep looking as you cross the street. For you never know when the unexpected will occur. I agree that we need to \u201cfocus on the possible,\u201d but keep your eyes out for the unexpected. <\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2022 <\/span><\/span>Asking different questions <\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2022 <\/span><\/span>Taking multiple perspectives <\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2022 <\/span><\/span>Seeing systems<\/span><\/span><\/span>2<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I will admit that I thought the book this week was overly simplistic and obvious. I was reading about Hudson Taylor this week and kept thinking that he had to deal with a complex world as well. Granted there may be some aspects of our future that are unique to our time in history but, I also think there were issues Taylor had to address that we don<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2019t even think about. He did have to ask questions looking for answers others were not asking. He did have to look from multiple perspectives as well as see what systems were in place and who they benefited. Hudson Taylor thought, engaged and acted differently then other foreigners in his day not because he was a charismatic leader rather because he saw the world as flexible and he knew he needed to flex with it; despite the criticism of his peers.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When Taylor arrived in China he asked the questions of what was separating foreigners from the locals? He made a radical decision to dress in Chinese clothes, shave his head and have a pigtail, and eat Chinese food.<\/span><\/span><\/span>3<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup> Taylor was a leader that recognized that the system needed an adjustment. He was not happy with most missionaries and believed they were more concerned with status and other worldly pursuits. Taylor also began asking why those in the west are only concerned with themselves. \u201cCan all the Christians in England sit still with folded arms while these multitudes [in China] are perishing\u2014perishing for lack of knowledge\u2014for lack of that knowledge which England possesses so richly?\u201d He began an organization whose purpose was to recruit and send 24 missionaries to the interior of China. This was a huge step forward to an area that was dangerous and was contrary to what others had modeled. These missionaries would<\/span><\/span><\/span> have no guaranteed salaries \u2026simply trust God to supply their needs.<\/span><\/span><\/span>4<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/span>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Hudson Taylor was challenged that every province in China would hear the gospel. This was his impossible task due to the size of the country, the population, and the political situation (boy that all still sounds familiar). He trusted that this was God\u2019s vision to fulfill and not his. This allowed him to take others views and work to find creative avenues to fulfill this dream. However, the cost was higher than even he anticipated. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTaylor paid a high personal price in order to accomplish this impossible mission. His beloved wife Maria died at the age of thirty-three. Four of his eight children before they reached the age of ten. In the summer of 1900[while Taylor was in Europe], the Boxer Uprising spread through China. Fifty-eight missionaries of the China <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>I<\/i><\/span><\/span>nland <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span>M<\/i><\/span><\/span>ission and 21 of their children were murdered. This broke Taylor<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/i><\/span><\/span>s heart.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span>5<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Other than those that lost their lives in the Boxer Rebellion, there were also those that were killed by the Red Army in the 1930s. John and Betty Stam were put to death in 1934. The night before the execution, John quoted Philippians chapter 1 verse 21 and wrote,<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u201d <\/span><\/span>For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u201d <\/span><\/span>John\u2019s last letter to his father included this <\/span><\/span><\/span>poem: <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Afraid? <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Afraid? <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Of what? <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

To feel the spirit<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/i><\/span><\/span>s glad release?\"\"<\/a><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

To pass from pain to perfect peace? <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The strife and strain of life to cease? <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Afraid? Of what? <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Afraid to see the Savior<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2019s face? <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

To hear His welcome, <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

and to trace The glory gleam from wounds of grace? <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Afraid? Of what? <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A flesh – a crash – a pierced heart; Darkness\u2014light\u2014O heaven<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2019s art! <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A wound of his counterpart! <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Afraid? Of what? <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

To do by death what life could not – Baptize with blood a stony plot, <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Till souls shall blossom from the spot, <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Afraid? – of what?<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Hudson Taylor<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2019s world was also <\/span><\/span><\/span> a <\/span><\/span><\/span>VUCA<\/span><\/span> world. It was <\/span><\/span><\/span>Volatile<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> even though he chose to not have the protections of any government military, <\/span><\/span><\/span>Uncertain<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> in where salaries would come from each month. His world was <\/span><\/span><\/span>Complex<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> in dealing with the ever shifting political realities and culture, and <\/span><\/span><\/span>Ambiguous <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>when sharing about a Christ that was seen connected with Opium Wars and the foreign white devils. Though the future may be complex and uncertain in terms of working in jobs that are not yet created or dealing with issues that are unforeseen, fear should not keep us from seeking the answers to the questions that we and others have as we minister and lead in creative and ordinary ways.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Some of the Martyrs of the Boxer Rebellion<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

1<\/a>Berger, Jennifer Garvey, and Keith. Johnston.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Simple Habits for Complex times : Powerful Practices for Leaders<\/i><\/span><\/span>. Stanford, California: Stanford Business Books, 20158<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

2<\/a> Ibid<\/span><\/span>.<\/span>13<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

3<\/a> https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/history\/people\/missionaries\/hudson-taylor.html<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

4<\/a> http:\/\/www.reachingchineseworldwide.org\/blog\/lectures\/between-two-worlds-j-hudson-taylor-and-the-clash-between-british-and-chinese-customs-cultures-and-laws<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

5<\/a> Wing Yui So<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span>The Passion, Vision and Strategy of Hudson Taylor. <\/i><\/span><\/span>Accessed at<\/span><\/span> <\/i>https:\/\/sosir.whc.org.hk\/sites\/sosir.whc.org.hk\/files\/attachments\/<\/span><\/span>Mission<\/span><\/span>%20Strategy%20of%20Hudson%20Taylor.pdf<\/span><\/span><\/u><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

6<\/a> Peter Stam, SR, “Precious in the Sight of the Lord,” China’s Millions 61 (1935): p.24.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cI love change, as long as I can control it\u201d I have jokingly said this many times talking to people about the uncertainty that we face living in a world of change. I used to spend a day every few months moving the furniture in our apartment around to give me a sense of change […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":93,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1462],"class_list":["post-21940","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-berger","cohort-lgp8"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21940","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/93"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21940"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21940\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21949,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21940\/revisions\/21949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21940"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}