Hitting "The Wall" Sweden 6A

Sven Ljungholm writes (http://www.fsaof.blogspot.com/):

"While I can run, I'll run; while I can walk, I'll walk; when I can only crawl, I'll crawl. But by the grace of God, I'll always be moving forward…" - Cavett Robert

“The Wall” evades easy definition. Dick Beardsley defines hitting the wall as; "It felt like an elephant had jumped out of a tree onto my shoulders and was making me carry it the rest of the way “ at the second marathon of his career, the City of Lakes Marathon.

To borrow from my daughter Kaari’s description, shortly after completing her first triathlon. and at the time a mother of 6; “You know it when you hit it! Months of pumped up psychobabble goes out the window, and self-doubt casts a deep shadow over your entire being… but determination and giving it your utmost brings you across the finish line and the claim: I finished !” Most modern day marathons report that some 20-70% of entrants fail to complete the course. And many tell of hitting the wall and becoming dizzy to the point of losing focus...The key words in any race is: I finished !! To give anything less than one’s best is to sacrifice both the gift and all the training committed to develop it.

The name Marathon comes from the legend of Pheidippides, a Greek messenger. The legend states that he was sent from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon, in which he had just fought, in 490 BC. It is said that he ran the entire 25 mile distance without stopping and burst into the assembly, exclaiming, 'We have won,’ before collapsing and dying.

There were other Persian revolts during the same period. Esther got a message from her cousin Mordecai when living in Susa, one of four capitals in the great Persian Empire. It was 15 years following the famous first marathon run.

A hundred years previously, the Jewish people had been overrun by the Chaldeans and had been taken into exile in Babylon. Fifty years later, Babylon was conquered by the Persians, and the Jews were allowed to return home. But some Jews chose to stay where they were. They had discovered that God did not just live in the land of Israel. Assured that God was here too, Mordecai and Esther were among those Jews who remained.

Strange as it may seem, prayer is never specifically mentioned in this book, nor is the name of God. Yet, but we can be sure that there is a purpose for God’s presence and Divine appointments. “And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” (Esther. 4:13, 14).

We Christians thrive as a minority, and we too live for such a time as this, to finish the race and earn the victor’s crown. And like the loneliness of a long-distance runner we too can experience “hitting the wall”. However, perhaps in Sweden and elsewhere where the goal seems unattainable we perhaps need reminding that we are never alone, and that the victory is sure; “thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. (II Corinthians 2:14 NIV)

That is God’s purpose “for such a time as this.” He has something specific for TSA to accomplish in our present situation and condition.

We believers should be living with confidence as people of destiny. God will be honored when we claim His grace to be what He wants us to be and do what He wants us to do in our present circumstances.

God is at work in the life of TSA although our circumstances may not always reflect it, nor is it all we would like it to be. But we can thank God for them anyway. There are many areas of growth in TSA in Sweden (and Latvia) where He continues to demonstrate His sovereign love and care, and they provide us with an opportunity to glorify Him. Let us believe that He will work those circumstances together for good, as we look for ways to serve Him in them. The number of Christians world-wide have never been as numerous as now and they continue to grow!

Carl-Erik Sahlberg, associate professor of church history Uppsala University, and Tuve Skånberg, visiting professor of church history Fuller
Fellows at Clapham Institute.

º Almost 100 000 people every day, the world over, make a decision to personally accept Christ.

º An estimated 3 000 Christian churches are founded every week.

º In 2000, approximately 33.0 percent of the world's population had been baptized in the name of Jesus. That figure is projected to increase to 33.4 percent in 2025 and about 35 percent in 2050.

º Christianity is growing faster than the world population... We live in Mission history's greatest period of growth.

"God is on the march!" Even in Europe.

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A visionary leadership seeks to unite people from different backgrounds to work towards the same goal. And Commissioner Vic Poke, Territorial Commander, is seeking to do just that. In spite of diminishing effectiveness in certain SA quarter, TSA is marching steadily onward with a new focus and vision.

Deuteronomy 31:6 
Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.

Commissioner Vic Poke, said while visiting SA centers on a fact-finding mission; “I see, hear and have a strong feeling that we are bound by a spirit of fear in this territory. It is not wrong to be afraid sometimes, but when fear becomes a fetter to stop us moving forward, it is wrong. God wants to bless us. Do not be afraid!We will do our best to explain what our situation looks like. Let us all pray for God's strength to move on and go forward; we must cut the tapes of fear that bind and inspire us to do great things again.

Commissioner Vic Poke shared his findings revealed through research over the course of the last eighteen months saying, “I can not over-emphasize how important the first fact finding days have been for my thinking.
The huge budget deficits in recent years result from three factors;
- Support to the corps
- Support to Latvia
- Operation Costs of Territorial Headquarters.

The theme 'Find the best (most logical) cities and concentrate - collaborate, ....'that is more important now than ever. We (HQ) have exercised too much control and now need to place more responsibility for local services on ‘locals’. We need to trust each other in this, "continued Poke;

We have gone through some difficult months and a difficult time back. I trust the future and that God will lead us forward. In Romans 5:3 it reads that” suffering creates endurance.” And, we must become very good at communicating, in order that everyone knows about the changes. Nothing may be more important in the coming weeks prior to the change.