He could not rise above convenience!

“He could not rise above convenience” is what Stephen Ambrose wrote about President Jefferson’s inability to act on his “words” concerning slavery. Jefferson left it to his successors to resolve.

I have ruminated on those 6 words this past week. Convenience kills me; it kills us and it destroys faith. I believe God set up life for those who are willing to rise above convenience. He says it like this, “to those who overcome.” To those who can get pass the unknown, the uncertainty, and the un-money (had to go with it), a whole new world opens up. A world without limits, endless possibilities and memorable adventures awaits any individual who can trust.

This past year has been a challenge for me (family included) in getting over conveniences. I, like many, enjoy stability, finances, reliable cars, routine, running water, options in the food groups, and the vast array of entertainment America has to offer. On the other hand I, maybe unlike some, can’t stand sitting behind a desk 8 hours (for any salary), driving on pavement everywhere, wasting time in front of a TV, shallow conversations, saving all my money for when I am to old to do anything with it and the mundane that America offers. This unwillingness to be “normal” catapults me to soar above conveniences. It’s either that or suicide (not literally mom). I must live abundant life, full throttle, go big or go home!

For some conveniences are daunting to scale. They have built that wall too high and thick: the kids, retirement, the job, grandma, debt, etc, etc. It’s time for a sledgehammer to make the Christmas wish list next year!

For others the fear of living in slavery brings resolve for immediate action. 2007 was our pay off for destroying our wall of convenience. Many have followed us every step of the way and asked the Lord to spare us from our insanity! Thanks!

This past year has taken us to paradise (yes, better than Hawaii) in Pemba, Mozambique. It was an answer to 10 years of praying . . . we were finally living overseas! It was there we worked with orphans, hosted the world for chocolate cake and the Holy Spirit. We saw people delivered from demons, healed, saved and set free. We grew in the prophetic and released others into it. We met amazing people who brought Jesus closer and the world smaller. We watched our kids struggle and come alive in a foreign country, witnessed amazing provision for airfare and other basic necessities. We drove Land Rovers, hunted hippo, killed snakes, rats, and caught lizards. We swam in the Indian Ocean, caught and released crabs as a game, BBQ-ed overlooking pristine beaches and had our first family dog (but not our last). We endured spirituals attacks, great arguments, sleepless nights, banditos, and intense humidity all to conquer in Jesus’ name.

We left for South Africa on vacation never to return to Mozambique. We got mixed up at the wrong guest house but the right one in the long run! We hosted more amazing missionaries from around the world, birthed our fourth child, cooked more than Emie ever wants to again, and realized Jesus is speaking the same message the world over. We swam until our bodies were prunes; kids got great tans, went on 3 safaris, visited a reptile park and gazed upon waterfalls that give the Columbia River Gorge a run for its money. We read dozens of books, colored, studied, wrote, painted 3 masterpieces and received revelation for 18 business plans. We would never have experienced this as a family if convenience won out and we said no to Africa. What could you be missing out on?

As I sit and wonder what returning to America in 4 weeks will bring for the Lockes, I find myself longing to stay in the conveniences of our current situation, Nelspruit, South Africa! Cheap living, sun, and a little routine sounds nice. It is weird to feel nervous returning “home,” but I do. No job, no income, no home, no car, no microwave, nothing known and uncertainty might have something to do with it. This is what I love right? Well, to be honest, not tonight. Tomorrow it may bring adrenaline, but right now it seems un-supernatural. It feels like convenience is winning in the first half, but he won’t in the second.

Many have asked and more are wondering what are we going to do when we return. This is where convenience begins to loose his hold. We are going to “do” the same thing we did before we left and the same thing we did while in Africa. Love, serve, bring the Kingdom, set people free, heal the sick, cast out demons, and never settle for slavery. We are going to fight so we experience what the Word of God says we can experience. We will walk in freedom and freedom will walk in us. We will not do things because they have always been done a certain way. We will teach as directed, preach when prompted and share when moved. Christianity is life, it doesn’t end or begin, it always continues. Our geographical location only brings new adventures and amazing stories but never a new Jesus. We live the same everywhere and anywhere He calls us to (this is why missionaries are not better than you).

These past 6 months God brought me more clarity to his plan for the Bride. I see it. I feel it and I can almost smell it. I understand it more now than if I had succumbed to my conveniences a year ago. 2008 will be a melding of the last two years with all that the Holy Spirit has been pouring in and letting out of me. Two roads are about to merge becoming a superhighway with a tornado ripping down the middle. Wait and see!

President Jefferson was not a hero. His greatest achievements were mere words (and great words they were), he wrote a lot and lived none of it. “He could not rise above convenience.” Another man did though, Abraham Lincoln! He chose the unknown and uncertainty. His ability to overcome opened up a whole new world, one free from slavery.

We have two options, live in convenience and be remembered only for our words or overcome and never be forgotten for our actions. What will people be ruminating about you in a few hundred years?

Blessings
He@th Locke