Tag: Kairos

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Pardon the Interruption

“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” — Yogi Berra

Nearly 125 inmates and outside volunteers recently gathered for a Kairos Prison Ministry monthly reunion. The purpose of this evening’s theme — “interruptions to the natural order of things” — was to wake us to the realization that disruptions to normalcy may be God’s invitation to encounter Him and discover His plans for us. The emcee for the evening pointed out some Biblical examples, Saul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, for instance — the Pharisee would become an apostle. There was Moses at the burning bush — the one raised in Pharaoh’s household would lead the Exodus from his land. We could point to Abraham, Joseph, Job, and many more whose life changed at various points of interruption. Most likely, we could look in the mirror and find one more.

Some discontinuity comes as welcome relief, such as when hopelessness encounters hope and heartache finds healing. For instance, one prison resident recalled, “I had always set walls around me, but I took them down on my Kairos Weekend in 2003, and I have had no walls since then.” Kairos was, for him, a positive disruption, a welcome life-changer. Some interruptions, however, are traumatic, such as difficult diagnoses, relationships in wreckage, or monetary meltdown.

So what do we do when normalcy is disrupted, whether seemingly for the good, or seemingly for the bad? Trust; we must choose to trust. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”1 Notice God’s command to trust, and His promise to act. For God’s faithfulness is not dictated by circumstance, rather in sovereignty He “works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.”2 So whether God causes an interruption or merely allows it, of this we can be sure: God will subject all things to Himself, for in all things, “God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”3 God is sovereign over all things and He will act. In God we trust.

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never fail; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” — Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV

Father, You are sovereign over all things, and all things must be subjugated to Your will. Help us to remember this amid life’s unexpected interruptions and to place our trust in You. You are good. In Christ we pray. Amen.

1 Proverbs 3: 5-6 ESV
2 Ephesians 1:11 NIV
3 Romans 8:28 NIV

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The Gift of Listening

From the Oscar-winning film, “Pulp Fiction”1 . . . 
Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman): In conversation, do you listen, or wait to talk?
Vincent Vega (John Travolta): I have to admit that I wait to talk, but I’m trying harder to listen.

My first Kairos Prison Ministry Weekend was in the Spring of 2009. Like all first-timers, I was nervous in the weeks leading up to the event, but by day two, Friday afternoon, I had become so excited and engaged that I was no longer thinking of the men in terms of inmate or outside volunteer. The atmosphere seemed as familiar and comfortable to me as any other gathering of friends, and by Saturday afternoon, I was amazed at the openness and joy in the room. I’d seen spiritual transformation before, but nothing like this. I thought to myself: “‘Listen, listen; love, love’ (the Kairos slogan) really works.”

Truly listening is truly loving. In his letter to early believers, the apostle James exhorted them, “Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.”2 How can we begin to love our neighbors as ourselves if we don’t take time to understand them? Moreover, the psalmist celebrates the liberty we experience when God lends His ear to us. “I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.”3 The 20th Century German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it this way: “God’s love for us is shown by the fact that God not only gives us God’s word, but also lends us God’s ear. We do God’s work for our brothers and sisters when we learn to listen to them. So often Christians, especially preachers, think that their only service is always to ‘offer’ something when they are together with other people. They forget that listenting can be a greateer service than speaking.”4

For most of us, selfless listening — effective listening — is sacrificial. We prefer to express ourselves, and when we do let others speak, perhaps we are, like the “Pulp Fiction” hitman, merely “waiting to talk.” But when, instead, we “try harder to listen,” our silence speaks with unmatched clarity. It says: “You matter. I care. Look up! There’s hope.”

Listening: it may be the greatest ministry to which God calls you today.

Father, You listen to my every prayer, even to the unarticulated cries of my soul. Grace me to listen selflessly to others, that they too would know the freedom, hope, and joy of being heard. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

1 Tarantino, Q. (1994). Pulp Fiction. Miramax.
2 James 1:19 ESV
3 Psalm 116:1-2 ESV
4 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together (London: SCM, 1972), 75. https://au.thegospelcoalition.org/article/loving-people-by-listening/

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The Engine Roared

Occasionally, I stop by NAPA to purchase some fuel injector cleaner. (It is far less expensive to prevent buildup than to clean clogged fuel injectors.) And it strikes me that on these shelves are enough parts to build an engine that roars. But there they sit, each tucked away inside of its own cardboard box, and huddled up with other parts exactly like it, all of them doing nothing. I realize the purpose of an auto parts store is not to build a new engine, per se, but to equip mechanics for repair. Still, it’s a little ironic, isn’t it?

A team of 46 men just completed a Kairos Prison Ministry Weekend, and it was a picture of the body of Christ at work—each one assuming his assigned role in and among the others, and all converging to share the love and forgiveness found in Christ Jesus. Leaders led, servants served, and musicians ushered us into praise and worship. Table family leaders facilitated discussions — “listen, listen; love, love” is the Kairos slogan — opening the hearts and mouths of the 42 residents in attendance. Then there were the men and women who supported the Weekend from outside the walls: the bakers who baked over 4,000-dozen cookies and the pray-ers who, in half-hour shifts, covered almost the entire 3½ days in intercession. It was a picture of the body of Christ: “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.”1 For “God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.”2 What happens when everyone functions in his/her capacity? Consider these inmate testimonies . . .

“I was hateful and spiteful. I didn’t nor couldn’t abide Christians. I have torn Bibles apart and spit on Christians. Now I have found an unconditional love I never expected.”

“This is awesome, so beautiful. I’m still locked up physically, but inside I’m free.”

“I came to this weekend very angry and hateful. I had asked God before to change me. I had asked him for a family. Now I’m looking at the whole bunch of people who are my family.”

“God has a plan for every one of us. I didn’t understand this until I got here (prison). I was stuck to addictions, but God sent the police, a judge, and then prison. This weekend is step 1. Tomorrow is step 2. I will strive to be a better person because of God.”

“I’ve changed! I’ve changed! I’ve changed!”

“Around here, we’re known by our number or our last name, but you [volunteers] called us by name. Thank you for giving us our names back.”

There were many amazing testimonies, and surely more unspoken. The body of Christ came together, each as called, and the engine roared.

Father, “Here I am! Send me.”3 Yes, show me my role in Your body today, and send me. In Christ I pray. Amen.

1 1 Corinthians 12:12 ESV
2 1 Corinthians 12:18 ESV
3 Isaiah 6:8 ESV