We live in denial of that heading
We have habits we insist on, and expectations we demand to see met. We have standards for health and wellness, life stability, a [good] roof over our heads, and a stable retirement.
2020 shattered our expectations for the most part – even for us who are wealthy, relatively speaking.
Our nation has been torn apart. It no longer resembles the country we immigrated to 29 years ago. On the contrary, it feels a bit like Africa where we hail from – divided by tribalism and competing forms of nationalism. We seem to have lost a common narrative concerning the meaning of truth.
Our country (and the whole world really) has been ravaged by a pandemic and our economy has become precarious in less than a year. Americans are experiencing food scarcity and jobs have evaporated. We are perched on the precipice. Is it possible that the great American experiment could fail in our lifetime?
Christ Center is a ministry focused on bringing the good news of Christ to university students in Colorado and Spain. We operate two coffeeshops in Grand Junction and Málaga with the view to reaching 52,000 students in these two university cities. We chose the “ministry as a business” model because this generation of students is suspicious of the church but loves hanging out in coffeeshops. Many coffeeshops in Spain have closed permanently and statistics predict that one in six food establishments will close for good in America by the end of this year. Because of the virus, students went home early and fewer people come to our door. Our sales are down in Grand Junction and our shop in Málaga is still in the growing phase.
All that sounds like mere words, scary words, but just words. However, on November 18, I learned via a text that my COVID-19 test came back positive. Suddenly it was no longer a thing out there, killing people in Italy and maybe New York City. This killer was coursing through my own veins. For a long moment I had the same sense of doom that I experienced often during law school when I sat for exams in a poor state of preparation. Like the Israelites of old my heart melted with fear at the prospect of what awaited in the “promised land,” for my body, for the ministry that I love and for the country I have adopted with passion.
This pang of fear forced me to take stock. This moment in time is indeed a tipping point. It is scary. But how we proceed from here is what counts. Joshua of old, in the face of a whole nation wavering said boldly: “I, however, followed the Lord wholeheartedly.”
I reminded myself of what God has done in my lifetime, personally and in ministry. I began to see the faces of young people who came through the doors at Four Winds and I recalled the stories that are already emerging at Cuatro Vientos in Spain (like storytelling for neighborhood kids on Saturday mornings). Stories of drastic change in the lives of many young people. Yes, we are ministry as a business, but God has used it mightily over the last 16 years and saved it many times before when business principles dictated otherwise.
I am wax, but I am in the hands of the great Candle Maker.
Wax has no expectation of stability or longevity. It is malleable, often melted, shaped, and poured into rigid forms with a rope through its body – the wick that will make it burn.
A basic candle burns to give light, even if it also produces a bit of black soot. Basic candles stood by as the good news of the gospel was recorded on paper and again as others unlocked the good news by reading that same piece of paper in a far-away place.
A lucky candle is infused with lavender and has the pleasure of watching people’s spirits lifted by its aroma. But it must still burn.
Wax in the form of crayons makes art that gives children a way of expressing themselves. Such pieces of art adorn the fridges of many proud parents. And I recently learned that such waxy works of art are contraband in places of incarceration! Go figure. There must be some subversive use for these seemingly innocent artistic expressions.
Wax used to be a form of encryption – heated and dripped onto a letter sealing in the words written by one lover to another. The breaking of the wax allowed the recipient to access the words, basking in the love and adoration conveyed across time and space.
It is not bad to be wax in the hands of the Great Candle Maker, Aromatherapist, Artist and Encryption Specialist. In His hands we are light, a pleasant aroma, a picture of holiness, a broken seal unlocking good news and even subversive where needed.
In 2021, let’s abandon habits, expectations and fears.
Let us proclaim with Paul that: “At just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. He alone can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach him. No human eye has ever seen him, nor ever will. All honor and power to him forever!” 1 Timothy 6:15,16
Join us in asking just one question. Where is the Spirit calling me to? Then GO there. Burn with all we have – make light in a dark world. Until we join the Eternal Light forever.
You can invest in the Christ Center ministry by:
- Securing our two coffeeshops (spiritual wells) financially through tough times (monthly pledge or year-end gift)
- Bringing support for Seth Rickard, Director for Spanish Outreach in Málaga, to 100%
- Bringing Gerda and Andrew Marais to 100% of their support (their visa work is nearing completion which is the last hurdle before they relocate for ministry in Spain, God willing, in March or April, 2021)
- Helping to acquire an intern residence in Spain where we will guide visiting American students to spiritual maturity via internships
We are asking for your timely Financial Support. Please go now to the web site and hit the “Donate” tab christcentergj.com
We would, of course, also welcome a check made out to Christ Center and sent to 1235 Bookcliff Avenue, Grand Junction, CO 81501
Blessings,
Andrew Marais