Covenant, Vision and Investment

It’s Monday morning, the weekend seems to have escaped my notice and I spend a few minutes trying to tell myself that I am where I should be (at work) – as opposed to lounging in a hammock under a coconut tree – or anywhere else really!

So, in the start up process for another day, I ask myself why it matters! What about what I will do today will energise me and help me get on with it? Why does it matter? (This is not a defeated, ‘worm theology’, glass half-empty, woe is me introspection – it’s just a stock take, gee-up, refocus.)

In that process I reflect on the covenants I have made, the ‘bigger than me’ visions I believe in, the people that have invested in me – I want to be faithful to these. I want to make sure that the people that have sacrificed for me know that their ‘investment’ is making a difference.

Twenty-four years ago I covenanted with God “to live to win souls and make their salvation the first purpose of my life; to care for the poor, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, love the unlovable, and befriend those who have no friends”. Today this covenant still claims my energies and my purpose. I have the privilege of working to reveal God and God’s salvation priority in some pretty awful and hostile contexts.

And, claiming William Booth’s vision as my own: “While women weep, as they do now, I'll fight; while children go hungry, as they do now I'll fight... while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I'll fight.” So, I look at my project list and remember that:

• With a team in Eastern Europe I am working to educate people about the evil of trafficking of persons, especially children and reclaiming the childhood of ‘poor lost girls upon the streets’.
• With the team in Afghanistan I work to empower and restore the dignity of women and girls who are owned, marginalised and disempowered.
• In Lebanon and Bosnia Hercogevina I work with a team to facilitate interfaith dialogue and learning with the aim of building relationships of peace that will eradicate hate filled conflicts that are based on ignorance - revealing how God is present.
• And, whilst the invisible, hungry street kids, (the 4 year old rag pickers, grimy oil scrapers and the defeated, empty-eyed sex toys) in the Rawalpindi bus depot continue to be exploited – I’ll work! 

So, get on with it Daryl!

Faith and Development

When it comes to Development [community, market, communications or cultural], Christianity has not always been a good thing!

A quick, surface scan through the history of "development" invites a number of modern swear words such as: paternalistic, colonialist, empire-builder, genocidaires, jihad and do-gooder - qualities and agenda that can be levelled at (probably) all religious groups - Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists... (Some thing Christian's don't want to claim a monopoly on!)

A good deal of my ministry these days causes me to reflect on how a Christian partners with people in development in light of this history and then add that my 'development world' is over 90% Islamic; most of 'my (fragile context) countries' have suffered, or are suffering through genocide, war, food & water shortage, gender, cultural or religious oppression - what does development from a Christian look like?

I work for an international development agency that articulates overtly that "We are Christian" and stipulates that "we look forward to a world where every child experiences Jesus' promise of life in all its fullness", and I make no apology for that. But does my faith help or hinder?

Many people (mainly christians) would want to convince me that it matters, that it is a major barrier - but my experience tells me otherwise. (I'm not suggesting that there are not people that will try and make it an issue.) I have never hidden the fact that I am a follower of Jesus and that my dream for us all is that "we will experience life in all it's fullness".

The words of an Islamic teacher (an Imam) reminded me of this today. He said that he respected us because we take our Christian faith seriously and we employ, and honour very committed Muslim and Christian staff. ("Christians are respected as an Abrahamic faith, and as People of the Book", he said.) In undertaking development work, having faith is “Not important, but VERY important. God created us to live in good conditions. We are not in a good condition, so we cannot separate God from development. God is the origin of development. Without faith I cannot believe in development because God shows the way that faith is at [its] heart.”