News Update

July 1 marked the 20^th anniversary of our move from Seattle to Burlington to start Tierra Nueva del Norte in July of 1994.  We realized this that very day just after we were unexpectedly upgraded to Business Class on a flight from Munich to Vancouver after three weeks in France and the UK.  We are grateful to God to be increasingly sharing what we’ve learned these past 33 years to raise up, equip and encourage leaders for God’s larger mission throughout the world.

Never would we have imagined that our calling to show marginalized Honduran peasants God’s dignifying love would have led to Tierra Nueva being established in Washington State amongst immigrant workers, inmates and gang members and now in the UK through Tierra Nueva Europa.  The Holy Spirit expertly leverages the heart of what we’ve been about in ways that astound us.

In June we traveled to France because the church we worked with in Paris for a year had gifted us with a round-trip ticket, and Bob was invited to speak at a conference there, “L’eglise qui croit” (the church that grows), that drew together leaders committed to the growth of the body of Christ in France.  Bob was asked to speak about what we’ve learned in starting a church with people on the margins of society who are normally excluded from traditional churches.  What is most exciting to Gracie and I is our own beloved Tierra Nueva faith community, which is growing up disciples of Jesus who come from prison, addictions, gang involvement and 
homelessness.

Our message was very well received in Paris, and was followed by an invitation from Jean Vanier to share with L’Arche Community leaders about how to introduce Jesus to not-yet-believing people interested in ministry to the poor.  Bob is in the midst of writing a book Experimenting with God, which will hopefully serve as a primer for people exploring faith in Jesus.   

While in France and in the UK speaking at Westminster Theological Centre’s theology conference, we were impressed by the need for training in the theology and practice of ministering to unreached populations.   The growing demand for training has led to a re-envisioning of our role in this season of our lives.

Recently we decided to move from Executive and Associate Directors to General Directors of Tierra Nueva.  Rev. Mike Neelley is stepping into the role of Executive Director, freeing us to focus more on expanding the vision and scope of Tierra Nueva, overseeing TN’s international mission and equipping leaders locally and abroad through The People’s Seminary.   

We will continue to spend two-thirds of our time in the Skagit Valley, strategically supervising some of our leaders who supervise others, training new apprentices, developing TN’s praying ministry and ministering in the jail and prison.  Part of Bob’s work with The People’s Seminary includes part-time teaching of Old Testament and Missions at The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology and at Westminster Theological Centre in the UK.   A primary role is to develop The People’s Seminary’s offerings locally and internationally

We are excited about the launch of our Certificate in Transformational Ministry at the Margins (CTMM) beginning in October in Burlington.   Plans are in the works to start CTMM’s in London (January 2015), Seoul (March 2015) and eventually Paris and other places.  Preparing practitioner-trainers who teach this course is a high priority if we are to expand this training nationally and internationally.   All of these trainings will include weekly distance-learning materials that will be available on a new The People’s Seminary website.

While being ‘empty nesters’ frees us for a broader ministry together, having Anna in University and Luke in art school means our expenses have never been higher. Currently we are lacking $2,000 in regular monthly support.  We value your prayers and also your financial partnership with us as we step into this new stage of our life and ministry. If you feel led to give here are three options.
 


1)   Online E-giving through: https://www.egsnetwork.com/gift/gift.php?giftid=5C7582D0-5705-4EF9-ABB5-F1DB00D9447B


2)   Donating via PayPal through:  http://give.fivetwo.org/give.tierra-nueva.org/


3)   Sending checks earmarked “Ekblad Support” to Tierra Nueva, PO Box 410, Burlington, WA 98233
 

May God richly bless you as you engage in God’s highest calling.

Bob and Gracie Ekblad

Airplane Shepherding

On a recent plane trip from Los Angeles to Portland I sat beside a middle-aged Mexican-American woman wearing the blue uniform of what I thought was an operating room doctor or nurse.  I asked her if she was a doctor, and she said she was a dental hygienist.

Once in the air I put my tray down and opened my journal and my Bible and began to write.  She looked over curiously and asked: “Are you a….. are you a…?” “Christian?” I asked.  “Yes, that’s what I mean,” she responded.   I told her that yes, I was a believer in Jesus.  “What about you?” I asked.  “No, I’m Catholic,” she responded.   I told her that Catholics and Christians believe in Jesus and use the same Scriptures, and that most of the people I’ve ministered to for the past 32 years are Catholics.   “Are you actively involved in a Catholic Church?” I asked.

She told me that she went every Sunday morning to the 8:00am Mass.  “But Catholics and Christians are not the same,” she insisted.  “I go to Mass but afterwards I feel empty.  The priest doesn’t have time for me as there are so many people.  The Christians I have met pray for me.  I can feel God’s love when they pray,” she said.

While  I know from first-hand experience that in a church context it is difficult as a pastor to be fully present to each individual during Sunday worship.  I also know many very sensitive Catholic ministers and lay people who could have been the ones praying for this woman, and dynamic Catholic churches that may have welcomed this woman more effectively, it didn't seem appropriate to come to the defense of the Catholic church or to point out that not all Protestants offer to pray for people.  I listened and sought to be the face of the church there, where she was.

She told me she was on her way to her son’s graduation from a university in Portland.  “I am so proud of my son and so glad that I have been able to help him get all the way to this point,” she said.  I asked if her husband was going too and she told me he was already there ahead of her.  She went on to tell me that they had been divorced for two years after a difficult marriage marked by alcoholism and abuse.  That evening she was going to see him for the first time since they separated and was feeling distraught.

Earlier before the flight Christian friend of hers had asked her to stop by as she wanted to give her chocolate chip cookies.  “After she gave me the cookies she prayed for me. When she prayed I like God’s love and peace were so real,” she said, and began to tear up.  Moved by her distress I offered to pray for her if she wanted.   “Yes,” she said.  “I really need it.” As I prayed for her she continued to cry, and then asked me what I was reading.  I shared with her from Psalm 23 and John 10.

I showed her how God is presented in Psalm 23 as our shepherd, meeting our needs.   When he is our shepherd he makes us lie down in green pastures, leading us beside quiet waters— which from a sheep’s perspective would be a paradise-like place of lush abundance, restoration and rest.  God wants to restore our soul and to guide us, and promises to be with us through dark times and care for us in the face of hostilities.   “Do you feel you need this?” I asked. “Definitely,” she said.

I then read her from John 10, where Jesus is associated with shepherd imagery.  “I am the door; if anyone enters through me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture… The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly…. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”  I asked her if she believed in Jesus, and she said she did.  I asked her if she had received the Holy Spirit, and if not, whether she’d like to.  She said she did, and I prayed for her again.

At this point I needed to use the restroom at the back of the plane.  As I returned to my seat I thought to myself, “now I’d like to do some reading.”  Though I had just been to two and a half days of stimulating lectures by N.T. Wright at a conference on the Apostle Paul, I was feeling a longing to read.  I sat down and opened my Bible to that day’s Old Testament reading from the daily lectionary: Ezekiel 34:1-11, and was struck to the core by these verses.

“Thus says the Lord God, “woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?... Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost… And they were scattered for lack of a shepherd… and there was no one to search or seek for them.”

While I did not feel guilt over wanting to read, I became keenly aware that I had been given the opportunity to care for someone in deep distress.  I turned back to the woman, who began sharing more of her life.  She told me that she was now with another man and that they have a daughter who is now six months old.  Early in her pregnancy she was planning to have an abortion. Then right before her appointment she met a Spanish-speaking Christian who offered to pray for her.  “Without me even telling her I was pregnant she prayed over my womb, directly speaking to my unborn baby about how much her mother loved her.  I felt both convicted and inspired, and decided to keep the baby,” she recounted.

I was inspired to hear how people at key moments in this woman’s life, outside of church contexts, had responded to the Spirit’s recruitment, engaging in Jesus’ shepherding ministry.   While we ourselves are in need of being continually nourished and refreshed, let’s not forget that there are opportunities all around us to seek and find scattered and distressed sheep, bringing them into Jesus’ fold.

Jesus' Mission to Jericho

The ancient city of Jericho has long been associated with conquest. In the Old Testament, Joshua led the Israelite army into the city, where they slaughtered all the men, women, children and animals (Joshua 2–6). On a recent visit to Jericho, I noted the big red warning sign posted by the Israeli military, prohibiting all Israeli citizens from entering the now Palestinian city due to ongoing conflicts arising largely from aggressive Joshua-inspired Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

In Luke 18:35ff, Jesus enters Jericho.  Greek-speaking readers of Scripture were certainly aware that Joshua’s name in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), ∆Ihsouvß is spelled exactly the same as Jesus. So how does Jesus, Son of God’s entry into Jericho differ from that of Jesus/Joshua son of Nun’s?

As Jesus approaches Jericho “a certain blind man was sitting by the road, begging.”  When he hears from the crowd that Jesus of Nazareth is passing by he cries out: “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.” The blind man “sees” Jesus as David’s son, meaning the Messiah, and then calls him Lord, using the Greek equivalent of the divine name.   Jesus heals the blind man, who then follows him into Jericho glorifying God. 

In two jail Bible studies this past Sunday I invite inmates to take note of the next character on the scene, Zaccheus, and to summarize what we know about him.  He is a chief tax collector who is rich and too short to see Jesus over the crowd (19:2). 

I briefly describe a chief tax collector as a despised collaborator with oppressors, and invite comparisons.  In the jail the men come up with undercover cops, drug cartel chiefs, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents (ICE), and debt collectors.

We talk through Zaccheus’ reaction to Jesus’ entry.  The men point out his curiosity and possible desperation since he runs ahead and positions himself so deliberately in a tree to check Jesus out.  “Some of you may be coming to the Bible study to check out Jesus from a distance,” I suggest, looking around the circle of men.  Let’s see what happens in the next verse.

“And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” (19:5)

The men are surprised by Jesus’ total awareness of Zaccheus’ interest.   I drop the idea that Jesus may be a kind of bounty hunter, deliberately looking for people who have active warrants from heaven because of their known interest or readiness.  The inmates comment on how Jesus knew Zaccheus’ name, told him to hurry and come down, and how he invites himself to stay at his house.  Jesus "looks up" to Zaccheus in this encounter-- which for a person "short of stature"who is also despised would have deeply affected him The men are moved that Jesus doesn’t judge him, and outdoes Zaccheus in eagerness to know him.  Jesus doesn’t waste any time either, but sets the hook quickly into this wily fish lest he get away. 

Jesus models his own instructions to the 72 missionaries he sends out praying, looking for the person of peace who they are to stay with as guests (Luke 10:7). The scandal of Jesus’ inclusion of Zaccheus is stated clearly about those who saw it: “they all began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner” (Luke 19:7).

Zaccheus responds enthusiastically to Jesus’ offer to be his guest.  “He hurried and came down, and received him gladly” (19:6), inviting further links with Luke 10:8-- “And whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat what is set before you; and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.” 

But before Jesus heals or announces the Kingdom, the notorious “criminal” identifies him as Lord much as the blind man had.  Restorative justice is taking place spontaneously in response to Jesus’ full embrace: “Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.”  “Today salvation has come to this house” Jesus says, “because he too is a son of Abraham.”

Jesus here reveals a radical perspective of conquest as salvation that illuminates the earlier Joshua story, offering a critical key for appropriating it now.  Jesus comes to Jericho on a campaign to save: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (19:10) and begins with the most wayward of its Jewish residents.

Readers should also note that right before this story Jesus states that he’s heading to Jerusalem to be mocked, mistreated, tortured, killed… and resurrected (Luke 19:31-33)- reminding us that his own death on the cross was his way of achieving victory as Messiah.

Luke’s choice of words brilliantly connects Jesus to the spies sent by Joshua to view the land rather then to Joshua’s actions of destroying the city.  Jesus, like the spies has his eyes open to seek.  But with a clear agenda to save.  He enters and stays with Zaccheus—the then equivalent of Rahab the prostitute—a direct ancestor of king David and Jesus (Matt 1:5).   Zaccheus’ timely receiving of Jesus matches Rahab’s receiving of the spies (James 2:25), leading to their consequent salvation.

I end the jail Bible study by returning to  Jesus’ urgency in connecting with Zaccheus and today’s equivalents-  we ourselves.  

“From this text it looks to me like Jesus is looking to connect with people who are drawn to him.  If you are experiencing a desire to receive this Jesus who is seeking after you, maybe it’s time to seize the moment and hurry to welcome him” I suggest. 

Connections happened for many on Sunday and the Kingdom of God advanced.   Gracie and I had a nice visit to Jericho, and I find myself praying that Israelis would recognize and follow Jesus as their Messiah and Lord like the blind man and receive him into their lives like Zaccheus.

May you too have eyes to see and welcome Jesus.  May God empower you to connect with and recruit today’s Rahabs and Zaccheuses into Jesus’ company.  May you move towards Jerusalem this Palm Sunday with renewed awareness of what it looks like to follow Jesus, with his priority to seek and to save those who are lost.

I invite you to view a recent TV broadcast about how this is happening at Tierra Nueva at: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2014/April/Tierra-Nueva-Transforms-People-on-the-Margins

The People’s Seminary welcomes applicants to our Certificate in Transformational Ministry at the Margins beginning in October in Burlington and January in London http://www.tierra-nueva.org/upcoming-tps-courses

Indiscriminate Sowing

This past week I’ve rediscovered one of Jesus’ parables that I often read with impoverished farmers in Honduras.  Reading Matthew 13 with inmates and at Tierra Nueva has proved fruitful, and deeply encouraged me as I’ve heard good news echoing back.

I start out sharing with a jail-room full of mostly construction workers, mechanics, welders, electricians and farm workers how Jesus was working class, the son of a carpenter, a man whose hands were likely calloused.  According to the Gospel accounts he mostly hung out with ordinary people, frequenting normal, non-religious place: roads, sea, mountains, villages and homes.  I invite someone to read Matthew 13:1-2

“On that day Jesus went out of the house, and was sitting by the sea.  And great crowds gathered to him, so that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach.”

I’ve seen how this kind of beginning helps people envision Jesus as closer, and opens them to hearing his teaching as possibly more relevant.  Next, before reading the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:3-9. I talk a bit about the basics of planting seeds. 

During our years in Honduras I learned what Jesus’ audience would have already known.  Seeds are food, whether they be wheat, corn, rice or beans.  Planting seeds requires sacrificing a part of your food supply.  For poor farmers who suffer shortages of basic grains, saving seed once the food supply has run out is difficult.  Farmers who depend on seasonal rains to water their crops are usually planting or watering when their grain reserves are at optimal value.  Good farmers carefully prepare the soil and plant with deliberation.  Knowing this prepares us to hear Jesus’ parable the way First Century Palestinian peasants likely would have heard it.

The sower in Jesus’ parable appears reckless.  Seeds fall beside the road where they’re snatched up by birds, on rocky ground where they sprout up quick but then wither in the sun; among the thorns where tender shoots are choked out and finally into good soil where they produce an abundant harvest.   “How would other farmers view such a farmer?” I ask.

“Careless and irresponsible,” someone says.

“He doesn’t discriminate but throws seeds everywhere,” says someone else.

The idea that this sower doesn’t discriminate or judge gets people’s attention.  Many of the men are used to experiencing different kinds of discrimination: exclusion from jobs because they’re felons, from drug court because they have violent offenses, being shunned by family because of their addictions, being pulled over by cops because of their skin color…

We discuss about other explanations for the sower’s planting tactics: that he carries an abundant supply of seed, that his planting approach is marked by faith and not wastefulness as he believes that even unlikely places can produce, that he may consider the seed especially powerful.  I invite people to read a relevant text from Isaiah 55:10-11 regarding the abundance and potency of God’s word.

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth, and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so shall my word be which goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” 

The sower’s generosity and faith has inspired and motivated me— in our leading of weekly Bible studies in rural Honduran villages, or in jails, prisons and seminaries. I have seen thousands of people receive the seeds of God’s word, but harvested relatively little that we’ve been able to see.  I have clung to Isaiah 55 and feel my faith enlivened as I read it again.

“God’s word is raining down 24/7 and is effective at its mission,” I say as a statement of faith.  And yet we see from Jesus’ explanation of the parable in Matthew 13:18-23 that in spite of the sower’s liberal, faith-filled sowing, problems on the receiving end can block productivity—and we at Tierra Nueva have certainly experienced this.

Jesus states that the seed is God’s word, and the different soil conditions represent people who hear God’s word.  Seed that falls beside the path is like seed that doesn’t penetrate into one’s mind and heart because of a lack of understanding (v. 19). 

I pull out a vitamin that happens to be in my pocket, hold it out and drop it on the cement jail floor.  It does not penatrate but it bounces, and the inmates can see clearly that something could easily snatch it up. 

“If seeds are God’s words, how do they enter into us?” I ask.   Answers include “through our minds,” “through our experiences,” and finally “through our ears.”  The idea of vitamins (or seeds) entering people’s ears makes some of the guys laugh.  Yet the graphic illustration brings home Jesus’ final words: “He who has ears, let him hear!”

Jesus invites personal responsibility.  Like the Old Testament prophets Jesus calls people to hear-- emphasizing receiving the word to the point of understanding.  Predatory evil is lurking, ready to snatch what doesn’t enter.   Jesus’ learners need to be aware of this and seek understanding.  Rocky soil represent those who accept God’s words “with joy”, but lack depth (of understanding?).  These words dry up in the face of opposition and people fall away—an experience that many in the room say they can relate to.  Finally the seed that fell among the thorns are words that get choked out by worries and the seductions of wealth—and Jesus’ realism here makes us all trust him as we can all relate.

We are inspired together by the final possibility—that of being the good soil that produces at different levels of abundance due to our understanding of the word.   But how then can we grow in our understanding?

It is clear from the entire story that coming to Jesus as learners is the key to gaining access to the mysteries.  I invite the men into the center of the text—without venturing into the most difficult terrain of Matthew 13:12-17, at least not in this Bible study.  In Matthew 13:10 the disciples came and said to Jesus: “Why do you speak to them [the crowds] in parables?”  Jesus responds: “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.” 

Luke’s account adds precision as Jesus’ disciples “began questioning him as to what this parable might be” (Luke 8:9).  Coming to Jesus with our questions results in understanding.  Relationship with the sower—the receiving ground with the one who plants results in the word producing!

The sower is certainly Jesus himself, who in the Luke 8 account is depicted just before as going about from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God.  Jesus had seen his seeds produce in hard ground, and his traveling party witnesses to his fruitful ministry: twelve disciples and “some women who have been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses”—including Mary who had had seven demons cast out!

Over the course of seven Bible studies on this text in the past eight days I have  seen in people’s eyes levels of understanding.   On each occasion I myself experienced Jesus’ words sinking deeper into my heart. I have felt freshly inspired as one of Jesus’ disciples to persevere in my indiscriminate sowing, and also to receive with greater deliberation.  I can see the sower’s persistent generosity in my own life, and note each of these different soil conditions in myself in a single day.  I can see that God’s word keeps falling into me, regardless of my receptivity.  I am moved by divine generosity and am inspired to hear and understand. 

May you receive the powerful seeds of God’s word into your heart, with the promise of abundant harvest.

The People’s Seminary invites applicants to the following courses:

“Focused Living: discerning your calling as a participant in Jesus’ Kingdom.” All Saints, Woodford Wells, London, Paul Rhoads, September 9-10, 2014.

“Towards  a New Theology and Practice of Liberation,” London, September 10-13, All Saints, Woodford Wels, Gilles Boucomont and Bob and Gracie Ekblad.

Certificate in Transformational Ministry at the Margins, beginning October 8-11 at Tierra Nueva, Burlington, WA

Certificate in Transformational Ministry at the Margins, beginning January 14-17, All Saints Woodford Wells, London. 

More information available at: http://www.tierra-nueva.org/peoples-seminary

Questions?  Write Anne Park at: annepark@tierra-nueva.org

Certificate in Transformational Ministry at the Margins Announcement

In October 2014, The People’s Seminary will pilot its first cohort Certificate in Transformational Ministry at the Margins. This 18-month course of study isdesigned for Christian pastoral workers called to pioneer holistic ministry among the poor and marginalized.

The foundation of the certificate is Tierra Nueva’s more than 30 years of ministry and reflection. Its objective is to train ministry leaders, missionaries, theology students, and pastors in transformational ministry that includes Word, Spirit, and Street categories.  The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology is considering co-sponsoring this non-accredited certificate.

Four 4-day courses will be offered over 18 months and will be limited to 35 participants who will journey together from start to finish as a learning community.  Classes will take place between Wednesday evening and Saturday evening in sixteen 1½-hour sessions. Courses will be followed by distance-learning activities and practical hands-on assignments.  Each on-site course will include daily worship and personal ministry, lectures, discussion, and group meals.

Tierra Nueva will host the course at its ministry center building in Burlington, Washington, an hour north of Seattle.  New Earth Refuge in Mount Vernon will provide lodging for up to 20 participants during the on-site sessions.   A separate cohort based in the United Kingdom will begin at All Saints Woodford Wells Church in London in January 2015. Partnerships for cohorts in Paris, Seoul and Bangkok are also being pursued.

Outcomes

Participants will gain:

• Comprehensive understanding of biblical and spiritual foundations for transformational ministry and mission.
• Understanding of identify as child of God and citizen of the Kingdom of God —in contrast to national, ethnic, or class identity.
• Clarification of personal calling.
• Ability to hear and see God’s direction and voice for oneself, others, church, and society.
• Exposure to effective ways to bring people to Jesus.
• Understanding of the place of advocacy and peacemaking in missions.
• Experience in prophetic evangelism.
• Ability to pray for physical and inner healing and deliverance.
• Understanding of addiction, recovery, and relapse prevention.
• Ability to prepare and lead dialogical Bible studies.

Dates

	Tierra Nueva, Burlington	All Saints Woodford Wells, London
Course 1	October 8–11, 2014	January 14–17, 2015
Course 2	April 15–18, 2015	September 9–12, 2015 (to be confirmed)
Course 3	October 7–10, 2015	January 13–16, 2016 (to be confirmed)
Course 4	April 6–9, 2016	September 14–17, 2016 (to be confirmed)

Course descriptions

Course 1:  Identity and mission—God’s identity and mission and yours

God’s mission from the beginning to save the world includes humans made in God’s image.  This course explores God’s identity and mission and ours, journeying from the Old Testament through the New, setting a theology of the Kingdom of God and human empowerment on firm Scriptural foundations.  Baptismal identity grounds effective ministry as we enter into Jesus’ death and are resurrected to new life—filled with the Spirit, adopted by grace as beloved sons and daughters of the Father, and recruited, equipped and empowered to engage in Jesus’ ministry until his return.  Participants will be invited to clarify personal callings and be exposed to some best practices regarding starting or sustaining ministries.

Course 2: Healing and holistic liberation—Biblical foundations and practices

People engaged in ministry encounter spiritual and structural obstacles to personal and social transformation.  Deepen your theology of holistic liberation and learn hands-on approaches to physical and inner healing, recovery from drugs and alcohol, and personal deliverance and other kinds of prayer ministry.

Course 3: The place of advocacy, justice, and peacemaking in mission

Participants will develop a biblical perspective on prophetic ministry that includes “social prophetic” practices—such as advocacy on behalf of the marginalized, non-violence, peace-making, and resistance to the powers—together with “charismatic prophetic” practices, such as hearing and communicating words of knowledge for encouragement and healing, “prophetic evangelism,” and spiritual warfare.  Participants will be exposed to effective ministry approaches regarding contemporary mission challenges such as ministry to the incarcerated, the homeless, undocumented immigrants, gang members, people in prostitution, subsistence farmers, and people in need of meaningful work.

Course 4: Preparing and leading transformational Bible studies

We will explore tried and tested approaches to preparing and leading Bible studies with people who feel excluded from the church and society and rejected by God.  The barriers that keep today’s most obvious “sinners” from believing the gospel can be addressed by confronting negative images of God, engaging people’s participation, making use of the gifts of the Spirit, confronting oppressive structures, learning to interpret difficult texts for good news, and inviting appropriate responses such as confession, forgiveness, healing, and restorative justice. 

Distance learning between course sessions

Reading will be required before the first course and between each of the following three courses.  Two distance-learning lectures per month will be available on The People’s Seminary website.  Integration groups of 3–4 participants will be organized by interest or region for online interaction once a month.   Mentors will assist each integration group in meeting the learning objectives.

Cost
$1,600 (includes lodging at New Earth Refuge and light breakfast, coffee and snacks).  Costs will be slightly higher for those who stay in local hotels. (UK prices yet to be determined)

Teachers
Bob Ekblad and his associates will teach and guide the cohort.  Instructors from Tierra Nueva, The Seattle School, or partner ministries in the UK and elsewhere will be brought in to teach various segments of the courses.

Bob Ekblad’s primary experience comes from more than thirty years of reading the Bible with people who often consider themselves “damned”—Central American peasants, Mexican migrant farm workers, inmates in Washington state jails, drug dealers, and gang members.  Bob’s role as full-time director of Tierra Nueva and The People’s Seminary includes teaching Prayer and Old Testament at The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology and Missions at UK-based Westminster Theological Centre.   In addition, Bob and his wife, Gracie, teach and minister to groups around the world who are working with the poor.  They desire to share approaches to ministry that are grounded in Scripture and authentic spiritual practices.

Application
Download the application from http://www.tierra-nueva.org/peoples-seminary. Send completed applications for USA and UK cohorts to:

The People’s Seminary
Attn: CTMM application
PO Box 410
Burlington, WA 98233
USA

More information
Check our website at http://www.tierra-nueva.org/peoples-seminary or contact Anne Park at getseoul@gmail.com.

Note: Be on the lookout for upcoming announcement for September deliverance course with Gilles Boucomont and Bob and Gracie Ekblad "Towards a New Theology and Practice of Liberation," at All Saints Woodford Wells, London, Sept 10-13, 2014.

Epiphany Kindness

On December 29^th in my last gathering with inmates in 2013 I witnessed light shining in darkness and the kindness of God that leads to repentance simultaneously.  I share this Epiphany story in celebration of God’s appearing among us in Jesus.

The good news of God’s Word became visible in a jail bible study on Titus 3, read together with 15 men.  Since the men had just missed Christmas with their families and were mostly all en route to prison I knew they had no need to be reminded to be subject to rulers, authorities and to be obedient. I didn’t want them even glancing at Titus 3:1-2 that day, and asked someone to begin reading at Titus 3:3:

“For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.” 

Amazed by how this verse describes many people’s lives I suddenly see that I need to emphasize Paul and Titus’ identification with the men as a way to establish trust between the Biblical writer and them.

“It looks like the writer and his community here come from hard backgrounds that might have included addictions, criminal behavior and vida loca-gangster ways,” I start out. 

Much of the list describing Paul and Titus’ past messed up lives seems clear enough, but I ask them if they know what “malice” means.

“Isn’t it badness or evil?” someone says.”

“Exactly.  The writer here is coming from a troubled past life, but now things have changed,” I continue. “Have any of you guys experienced these kinds of things, hating and being hated, enslaved to different lusts and pleasures? I bet we all know people who have, don’t we?” I ask.

The men are all nodding, and a few comment that this verse describes their current lives.  Suddenly I’m struck by a truth not directly related to this verse.  I turn to a wiry tatted-up Latin-looking gang guy to my right and say:

“You know God has a special love for violent men and wants to help them.  He goes after them and never gives up on them so they can say what’s being said here—that this was their former life” I say, a bit surprised by my growing passion.

The guy is startled.  “How did you know?” he asked. “Nearly all my past offences and the jail and prison time I’ve served have been for assaults due to my violence. I have been hated and people hate me now.”

He went on to complain that he is currently being charged for something he didn’t do. “This fills me with hate and I don’t know what to do to get out of this.  They’re wanting to send me way for a long time again,” he said.

I shake my head, sympathizing as best I can, remembering that our thirty minutes are now more than half over and others are there in the circle with their own struggles and needs to hear good news. 

“That sounds really difficult and unfair and we must pray for you if you’d like before the guards come,” I say.  But let’s look at the next verses first.  I ask someone to read from Titus 3:4 onward, stopping him after the first few words of verse 5:

“But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared,  He saved us.”

“Check this out you guys,” I say.  “What happens here and who benefits?”

“It says here that God’s kindness appears and that he loves mankind and saves us.” 

“These guys who once were all messed up in addictions, full of hatred and being hated by everyone are telling about what happened—that God was kind to them in a special way.  I wonder if it tells us what they had to do in order to benefit.  Could someone keep reading so we can see what kind of hoops they had to jump through to get God’s help?” I ask. 

A Latino gang guy to my left reads the next verses with a strong Spanish accent and I ask him to stop after the first line:

“Not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness.”

We talk briefly about how God’s kindness, love and saving are not a reward for good behavior, compliance with laws or success at getting your act together.  Romans 2:4 comes to mind, where Paul prohibits judging and states so strongly to the unkind: “do you think lightly of the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?”

But there’s no time to read this verse and I ask the guy to continue reading from where we left off in Titus 3:5   “but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.”

Each word spoken seems like a perfectly shot arrow, hitting the targets of men’s hearts.  What better news can there be than this?!  Good News is penetrating and I can feel it in the room.  It’s what I long to witness over and over.  I ask if anyone feels a need to be washed clean.

The guy to my right says “I do for sure.  I take four showers a day in here, and it doesn’t make any difference at all.  I still feel the same.”

He tells me what the others already know, that his street name is Guilty.  I am deeply moved, overcome by affection, sensing Jesus right there with us. Knowing that only a few minutes remain before the guards arrive to take everyone back to their cells I summarize the next verse. 

“Before we pray let’s check out this next verse you guys.  It says ‘that being justified by His grace we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.’  Being justified means being made alright, acquitted, totally clean and righteous before God.  Do any of you guys want this?  Do you feel a need to be washed by Jesus’ love and by the Holy Spirit being poured out?”

Each man around the circle says that they do, including Guilty who’s leaning forward in his chair beside me.

I remind them that when Jesus washes us clean it is totally by grace, and that it’s an absolutely free gift.  “Jesus makes us right with God, brings us into God’s family with all the benefits—including living forever. Paul wants to be so sure that people understand this that he states it super clearly in the next verse.  Could someone read verse 8?”

“This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently.”

I invite the guys to choose to believe, to be confident that God’s kindness and love for them are real and true.  I invite anyone who wants to say yes to God’s love, to receive his cleansing forgiveness by opening their hands and hearts. The men have their palms out and are receiving as I pray for the Holy Spirit to be poured out upon them.  I pray for mercy and legal breakthroughs for Guilty, and the door pops open just as we’re through.

The kindness of God has just appeared and saved and I head home delighted—experiencing Epiphany a week ahead of the official date.  May you experience light of God’s love shining on you and washing you clean now as you begin 2014.