Dad's Easter, Cambodia, God's Presence, Romans

How was your Easter? Ours started out pretty good. Dad joined Denise and I for a great Easter service at Eugene First Church of the Nazarene. Okay, let's pause for a second. Not that I'm a staunch Calvinist, but I've leaned in that direction for several years now. So what am I doing attending an Arminian/Wesleyan church? Well, let's just call it a leap of faith.

We've been fellowshipping with those "noisy Nazarenes" (as Dad calls them) for about five months -- and so far so good. They emphasize lively worship and the work of the Holy Spirit. Frankly, for

Mary Haag: OMF missionary in Cambodia

several years I've minimized the "experiential" aspects of the Holy Spirit in my life. My focus has been learning about God through my mind and not so much with the heart. Not that the mind is bad. God definitely wants us to use our minds when we study scripture and theology. But there's a whole other side of the Christian coin, and that's what I'm investigating.

After church we had a nice Easter dinner and then Dad fell and broke his left hip. In the old days, hip fractures were a death sentence for elderly folks. Not so much anymore. The next day, the docs put a titanium ball in Dad's 87-year-old hip joint and now he's recovering at the Marquis in Springfield. He's motivated, has lots of energy and should heal up fine. Please pray for him, that he'll do what the doctors and nurses say. We don't want any more falls.

On Wednesday, Mary Haag had dinner with Denise and me at our home. Afterwards, she gave a slide presentation to a small group about her work in Cambodia. But first let me talk about the dinner. Mary is an "experiential" Christian, who freely talks about her intimate relationship with God. As the three of us ate salmon, she described a coastal retreat she recently attended. It was a silent time where the participants mostly kept their mouths shut and listened to God. So I asked Mary if she frequently felt God's presence. She paused and probed me with her eyes. Keep in mind, she's a psychological counselor and likely sensed I

My dad, Ray Nash

was up to something.

She basically answered yes, with explanations, including an illustration about the difference between floating and swimming. She wrote in a followup email, "The floating/swimming picture is helpful in picturing the walk with Him, and how am I living my life right now? Am I swimming, in that I am striving on my own? Having willfulness to make my own way, do it my way? This awareness enables me to learn to let go and float…letting go the striving to surrender into His plans, His hands. Yes, this is communing with Him, but more like resting."

What about experiencing His presence? "I've done solitude (having time daily alone with Him) for years, but learning how to add silence, time with Him, and listening to Him has moved me into a more intimate relationship with Him. It's a relationship, back and forth, not just me thinking of Him or knowing about Him."

Mary continues her work in Cambodia, a country with a tragic history of war and genocide. She counsels the traumatized and teaches native Cambodians to be counselors. Please pray for Mary Haag and consider supporting her. Contact OMF International: www.omf.org/us.

Mary was a guest speaker for what normally would have been a Romans Bible study. We're a tiny group of five and have room for a few more people. The Romans study involves discussion, but for those who prefer just listening, that's fine. For more info on this fellowship, see www.homegroupleaburg.blogspot.com. Why not pray and ask God if this group is for you? But after you ask, be silent and listen.

Blessings,
Tom