Dear Rose Park,
Last Wednesday, along with Bill & Joyce Dora, Kathy Bradford, and Patty Riemersma, I met Doug & Marlin Prins at Russ’ for coffee and pie. Doug & Marlin are our mission partners in Alaska; we had a great time hearing about their ministry and celebrating God’s faithfulness to them on the long road of obedience in the same direction.
In his book, A Long Road of Obedience in the Same Direction, Eugene Peterson writes: “it is not difficult in such a world to get a person interested in the message of the gospel; it is terribly difficult to sustain the interest. Millions of people in our culture make decisions for Christ, but there is a dreadful attention rate. Many claim to have been born again, but the evidence for mature Christian discipleship is slim. In our kind of culture anything, even news about God, can be sold if it is packaged freshly; but when it loses its novelty, it goes on the garbage heap. There is a great market for religious experience in our world; there is little enthusiasm for the patient acquisition of virtue, little inclination to sign up for a long apprenticeship in what earlier generations of Christians called holiness.”
I think I can safely speak on behalf of those who gathered at Russ’ on Wednesday when I say, Doug and Marlin have been a faithful example of growing in righteousness and holiness over the long-haul of ministry in The Last Frontier state. Over the course of 45-years, Doug and Marlin have worked with two non-profit organizations and partnered with a variety of others to impact the community in a positive way and to help sustain interest in the Gospel of Jesus. I am convicted and humbled by their faithfulness and obedience to the leading of God’s Spirit. It became so apparent in our conversation how their natural inclination was (and remains to be) to pray to God for direction and guidance at every step along their journey.
I don’t tell all of this to guilt-trip or shame us in anyway. It is not my intent for to you think “Doug and Marlin moved to Alaska and gave their entire life to God in missionary service, what am I doing with my life?” Instead, it is my hope for us to consider how we can take the first step or the next step in our maturity and growth in Christ. If Peterson is right and the evidence for mature Christian discipleship is slim, perhaps we might take the initiative to mature in more sustainable ways. For some, that might mean committing to corporate worship beyond the highlights of the calendar and liturgical year. For others, it might mean embracing the reading of God’s Word beyond Sunday mornings. Still for others, this might include volunteering in a service project, a leadership role in a multi-generational ministry, or even a willingness to participate in morning worship.
Whatever the case may be, it is one of my greatest joys to celebrate the faithfulness of Doug & Marlin Prins and in so doing be inspired to continue down the long road of obedience in the same direction keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.
Grace & Peace,
