Latest / Eurasia Region Podcast / S1-E97 | Everyday Eurasia | Darlene Hyatt

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S1-E97 | Everyday Eurasia | Darlene Hyatt · Eurasia Region Podcast

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  Hello and welcome to the Everyday Eurasia podcast,
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  Inspiring Faith for Every Day. Each day we are on a journey
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  with Jesus in our churches, our homes, our workplaces, and in so
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  many different places around the world.
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  Is it beautiful that no matter where we are, we can walk with
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  him every single day? Jesus is the one who connects us
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  all and stands at the very center of our lives day after
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  day. Through this podcast, you'll
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  hear voices from across the region sharing devotionals that
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  reminds us of God's presence in our everyday moments.
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  This week on the Everyday Eurasia podcast, we are joined
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  by the Northern Europe field. Each day we hear stories and
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  devotionals from across the field offering a glimpse into
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  the life and ministry of the church in this part of the
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  region. Today we will listen to Darlene
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  Hyatt. She is a Canadian and serving as
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  associate pastor at Clay Church of the Nazarene and Clay Wills.
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  Her present assignment includes planting church type missions in
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  Corwin Bay and Llandudno Wills. Both the Bible and Christian
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  tradition depict the spiritual life as a journey.
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  Walking with God emphasizes the dynamic process of continual
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  transformation and of growth in our capacity to trust God.
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  In Genesis 11, Abraham's father Tara and his extended family
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  depart from ER, which is modern day Iraq, bound for the land of
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  Canaan. But when they came to Heron in
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  modern day Turkey, they settled there because that was a city
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  with an important commercial center.
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  Because they stopped halfway on the road to their destination,
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  Heron has come to symbolize partial obedience, spiritual
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  stagnation, and opting for comfort.
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  The story makes clear that Heron was a dead end, and Tara's very
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  name means delay. In contrast, when God tells
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  Abram to go from your land, your kindred, and your father's house
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  to the land that I will show you, Abram goes.
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  There's no map, only the promise that God will reveal the Way.
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  Thus, Abraham is emblematic of what it means to walk with God.
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  In Romans 412, the Apostle Paul recommends walking in the steps
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  of the faith of our father Abraham, for his life
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  exemplifies trusting God. At present, I'm part of a team
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  charged with planting a network of church type missions across
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  North Wales. Our core team consists of five
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  persons, two from England, one from the Philippines, one from
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  Northern Ireland and one from Canada.
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  It sounds rather like the start of a joke, doesn't it?
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  There's not a Welsh person in the group and yet each of us was
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  called by God to minister in a country not our own.
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  As I strive to form deep relationships with my neighbors
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  in this land, on many days, Thomas Merton's well known
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  prayer seems most fitting. It says this, my Lord God, I
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  have no idea where I'm going. I do not see the road ahead of
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  me, and I cannot know for certain where it will end, nor
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  do I really know myself. And the fact that I think I am
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  following your will does not mean that I'm actually doing so.
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  But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please
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  you. And I hope I have that desire in
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  all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do
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  anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this,
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  you will lead me by the right Rd. though I may know nothing
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  about it. Therefore will I put my trust in
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  you always. Though I may seem to be lost and
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  in the shadow of death, I will not fear, for you are ever with
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  me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
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  Now certainly walking with God generally doesn't require
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  leaving one's homeland or family, but all of us are called
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  to journey with God and leave what one writer calls the
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  countries of our own construction.
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  You know those places, the ones we've built for self protection,
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  comfort, or when we have given into fear or insecurity.
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  God always calls us out of such dead ends and delay tactics
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  since His path is not one of stagnation.
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  Abraham's example shows us that blessing begins when we take to
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  the road. Sometimes the Kingdom advances
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  through trailblazing new works, but more most often it grows
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  through the steady, sustaining and outward looking ministry of
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  existing congregations. Regardless of our ministry
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  setting, let's walk in full obedience and not give in to the
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  temptation to settle for a life of ease.
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  We are a called out people, sustained by the promise of God.
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  We may not see the path, but it is never invisible to God and we
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  can most definitely trust Him. Would you pray with me?
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  Holy and loving God, we trust that you are walking with us
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  even when we stray. You will nudge us back to the
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  right path, slow us down when we run ahead of you, and wait for
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  us when we lag behind. May we obediently follow your
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  call, whether to near neighbors or to another land.
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  Help us to follow your guidance in the ministries to which you
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  have called us and give us the courage to walk the road with
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  you. We thank you that you will stay
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  with us throughout the entire journey.
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  And nothing, absolutely nothing, can stand against the
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  advancement of your Kingdom. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.
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  Thank you for listening to the Everyday Eurasia podcast
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  Inspiring Faith for Everyday. For more Everyday stories,
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  subscribe on this podcast channel, follow our socials,
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  Facebook and Instagram, or our newsletter snapshots.
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  For our newsletter and further information about the Eurasia
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  region, visit our website, eurasiaregion.org.