“This is just so dumb,” she said. “People are dying all around the world and God does nothing to stop it.” “Why?”

How many times have we all asked that question, particularly in the past couple of months? We are frequently reminded of death as people we know and love pass away over time, but nothing has highlighted our condition like the great pandemic we are currently enduring. It slaps us in the face whether we turn on our television, look at Facebook, or peruse various websites on the internet. Death is not lurking in the shadows. It is in our face, boldly brandishing it’s sword, constantly reminding us of our mortal condition.

This ugly reminder each of us one day will experience flies in the face of the intent of our Creator. It simply wasn’t supposed to be experienced much less understood. Yet through the desire to be like the one who made us, the desire for something we could never become, we became ripped apart from our loving parent and partnered with one who plunged the world into chaos. Death became our future. It frightens us and it should. This could have been the end of it all, but it wasn’t.

In the midst of this ugliness and darkness there has always been a light. It can never be extinguished. Light always overcomes darkness. This beautiful, perfect light chose to enter into our darkness and bring us something that can battle the darkness and defeat that frightening specter we call death. That something is hope.

“If this death and darkness was caused by someone else, why do we have to experience the fallout,” he asked? “Because each and every one of us participate in the same disobedience as the first two,” I said.

That’s the ugly truth of our condition. We can’t help it. It exist in us like a virus, passed on from generation to generation, making each of us a partner with darkness and death. We don’t want to admit it. We see this “virus” in others but have trouble finding it in ourselves. That’s what it does. It blinds us to our own sickness, but make no mistake its there in all of us. Yet for this virus there is a cure. It is called the light. The light enters us and engulfs our being with an energy that drives out all death and darkness.

The light entered our world and became one of us. The light suffered as we suffer, cried as we cry, and died as we all will experience death in our lifetime. We thought the light had died out, but it didn’t. The light came back, burning with all the brilliance and glory as He has always existed.

“He,” you ask? “Yes, he.” He is Jesus.

In these dark times we celebrate His life, His death, His resurrection this Holy week. Our brokenness, our “virus,” guarantees that one day we will all experience physical death. Jesus guarantees us that we have the cure to our spiritual death, and one day we will be resurrected just as He was. That is our hope in our future. We can partner with Him who defeats what we fear. Ask for the cure. It will be given.

Shalom

“Do you trust me?”, I was asked atop Highcliffe Nab. Peering down into the darkness, wind blowing at a steady pace, knees locked, fists clinched, I didn’t know.

A walk around the face of a 1000 foot cliff on a four foot path in the dark, with the promise of a spectacular view. But more importantly, a haven from the elements, and a place to conclude conversations that had been ongoing for six years.

Was this a test? Absolutely, I was sure it was. My mind was racing and asking if I could do it. Deathly afraid of heights, particularly at night, back and forth the yes’s and no’s battled with my soul. And I heard the question again. Do you trust me?

That question. I can’t believe he was asking that. I’ve only been asked that question from above, from Papa. It’s been asked of me many times in my life, but always from God. I’ve always struggled with it. And most times after much panic and restlessness, I’ve given in and said yes….then walked forward with a peace. Always with a peace. But that was from Papa…from God.

This “do you trust me” was from a human. A fallible, sinful, fallen human, yet to make his first step of trust with Papa. And hear he was asking me the same question that Papa always asks…..Do you trust me?

My reply to the human was the same as it has been with Papa. “I do, but I need you to show me the way and shine the light.” Yes, that was the answer. Always has been, always will.

Without hesitation the human pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight. Two others with us followed suit, and the path illuminated. The lights from their phones were so bright I couldn’t see anything but the path…the way.

I crawled on my hands and knees, that was the only way I could do it. The path was only four foot wide, and 1000 feet was a long way to fall. With the reassuring light, I inched foot by foot and finally made it around to the front of the mountain. The human was right. It was safe.

A natural alcove had been perfectly carved out by nature and once safely seated, the view of the community was spectacular. A community we’ve come to know, embrace and love. A community who has reciprocated and loved us back.

And there high on that rocky cliff, Papa prompted me, “Ask the same question of them, Do you trust me?”

You see for six years we have been coming to this community. Traveling “across the pond” to England, to Guisborough, we’ve been planting seeds each year and have been waiting to see growth. We have had countless hours of conversation about Papa…..His creation, the fall, our human futility and finally our Redemption through Christ. But nothing yet. No movement.

Sometimes Papa is slow to move according to our understanding of time. But His timing is perfect, and I do trust him. Even in my doubts, I still trust. And on this night He was speaking to me in this place like He never had before. “Ask them the same question, Do you trust me.” So I did.

“Hey guys, do you trust me?” Without hesitation the answer was “yes.”

“Well if you trust me, then I feel like Papa is telling me to ask you the same question of Him”. My partner in Christ confirmed it when he said, “Yeah, I think you guys are ready.” And they were.

We decided to leave the safety of the alcove and go back around the cliff and hike up to the top overlooking Guisborough. I had to have the safety of the light on the path again to lead the way.

Once on top, I explained to them that following Papa was just like me trusting them as they lit up the path with light to lead me to safety. I reminded them that with their decision to follow Papa, the light would always be there to guide them as well.

We all got on our knees, and with a strong wind overlooking our Guisborough community we prayed to Papa. And there on Highcliffe Nab three young men decided to trust Christ with their lives and gave themselves to Him.

And as we stood up, the humans were new beings. The weight of the old life had been taken away and replace with new life. Six years of friendships, conversations and questions all wrapped up high on top of the world in North Yorkshire England.

So you see, that’s why we come here, to this community called Guisborough…here in England. Papa has placed us here for a reason. This story happened last year, in 2017. We are back now for our seventh year here in 2018. Please pray for our team.

There are many more conversations to be had, many more questions to be answered, and many more humans here who need to answer the question of Papa….”Do you trust me?”

Peace

Greg Meek

Much has been said recently about our body of believers we call Getwell. Speculation on our decision to separate from the United Methodist Church has ranged from mild chatter, to wild accusations and onto the insane. So in an attempt to enlighten those without knowledge, here are the facts. Here’s who we are, the people of Getwell.   

We are a body of Christ followers whose backgrounds stem from various denominations and former non-believers. Historically Methodist, our church consists of former Catholics, Presbyterians, Baptists, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Churches of Christ, agnostics, atheists and unchurched individuals.   

We are Wesleyan in nature and believe that all scripture is God breathed and Holy Spirit inspired. Authority of scripture is the centerpiece of our lives, with tradition, reason, and experience all suspending from that authority. Everyone is welcome in our doors, and our mission is to love everyone. We believe in a balance of grace and truth, and we openly live in that tension.    

We acknowledge that we are all sinners, and it is only through the saving grace of Jesus that we are made whole again. We believe that Jesus loves us so much that He never leaves us in our current state, therefore we witness and experience His transforming power in each of our lives daily.   

Our vision is to connect people to Jesus and to one another for life change. We believe that true change happens when people are connected in community. We foster community through disciple groups, small groups, house groups, Bible studies and small classes.    

We believe in the power of family. Regardless of everyone’s personal family structure, we see our Getwell family as one body, from birth through senior adults. We partner with parents in the spiritual development of their children, and equip them with resources as they live out Deuteronomy 6 in the teaching of their children. 

We believe faith is strengthened through intergenerational connection, each generation learning from the next. We see current trends of Millennials around the country not only leaving their churches, but abandoning their faith altogether. We recognize these issues, and diligently work to alter those statistics.   

We teach our younger generation of kids and teens that they are vital to Kingdom work now. They don’t have to “grow up” or reach a certain age to be in service. We strive to be the church that is growing young. Therefore, we give the next generation “keys” of the church in different areas, training them for service, mentoring them along the way as they develop a faith that is able to “stick” despite current culture.   

We operate a day school that teaches children ages 2 years to 4 years old, providing 135 families in the community an opportunity for preschool training and Christian education.   

We provide sensory rooms and times of respite for families and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

We open our doors to the local community for use of our facilities. Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Celebrate Recovery, Junior Auxiliary, the Arc of Northwest Mississippi, and Desoto County Youth in Government all share in the space we call Getwell.  

We believe not only in service inside our walls, but outside as well. We actively participate in mission and service to our community in Desoto County and the Memphis/Mid-South area. Our Getwell family can be found at any time in service with the homeless in Memphis, Together Ministries, Olive Branch Food Pantry, Palmer Home, St. Mary’s Soup Kitchen, House of Grace, Mid-South Love Home, FedEx Family House and local prison ministry.  Each week during the school year we provide weekend food backpacks for Southaven elementary underprivileged children in an effort to fight poverty and hunger. Summers are spent working to fight illiteracy by working with Project Transformation.   

We support through prayer and financial means Express Missions International in an effort to end human trafficking and slavery of women and children. We are active in supporting children in Compassion International.   

We are a church that supports and encourages adoption. Many of our families have participated in the local foster care program and International adoption process.   

We believe in carrying out Jesus’ command in Matthew 28 to go make disciples. Our Getwell family is actively involved in International missions. We have developed long lasting partnerships, and continually travel to Honduras, India, Ghana, Lesotho, Poland and England, all for the purpose of sharing the Gospel and being the hands and feet of Christ to the people in those countries.   

Over the past few months, there has been much speculation of our decision to become non-denominational. Our church and our pastors have been called out on social media and from convention floors, labeled and judged with insults and wild accusations. My prayer is that you see us for who we really are.   

We are one body with Jesus as the head. We want to connect people to Jesus and to one another. All are invited. We are Getwell Church. We are family. We do what we do so that the next generation will know Jesus.    

Peace 

Greg Meek, Family Ministry Director 

I’m often asked the question “Why England?”  Be it in America or over here in England, everyone wants to know the why. Each time I ask myself the same, and always come to the same answer. Because we love.  We love the country, the climate (well, most of us) and the scenery.  But most of all, we love the people.  For those of us called to travel “across the pond,” we have a connection unlike any other.  

That’s how it works, doesn’t it?  In our Christian life, God places a calling in us to go and connect with others.  Some are called locally, some nationally, and others in various parts of the world. Our calling is England, more particularly the people of Guisborough and North Yorkshire.  

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

Invariably once I’ve answered the “why,”  I get asked, “What do you do over there?”  That answer is simple.  We plant seeds.  We simply sow seeds of the Gospel, the Good News.  We talk to anyone and everyone.  We go into the schools.  We help lead sports camps.   We lead youth groups.  We work in community centers and senior citizen homes.  We help lead VBS or “Holiday Clubs” as our British friends call it.   We partner with the Guisborough Bridge, UK-USA Ministries, Axiom Sports and Guisborough Methodist Church.

Our goal is simple and that is to tell  people who Jesus is. We want to bring the light of Christ back to a people who brought it to us in America so many years ago.  England is a country that is so bright, beautiful and full of so many fantastic people, yet so dark with the lack of knowledge of salvation.

St. Francis of Assisi said, “All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.”  We want to be that candle, that light in Guisborough. So we plant.  

Slowly we have begun to see signs of growth.  Our prayer is that we have and will continue to plant the kind of seeds which are like those in Matthew 13:8.  We pray our seeds fall on good ground, take root, and produce a hundred fold.  Pray for this place called England.  Pray for these people we love. 

It’s been a busy week in the town of Guisborough.  Speaking in schools, visiting the locals and serving the community has occupied our time.  But the addition of a daily after school event has really energized our team.

Every afternoon we have gathered in Westgate Park to work with the Axiom sports team in putting on a sports event called Camp of Champions.  Kids are divided and placed on teams with our youth leading.  Various types of games and sports are played with everyone coming together with their team for a “huddle time” to hear a message and have discussion with one of our Getwell youth.

Being able to watch our youth pour into the kids is an incredible blessing.  Many friendships have been made, but more importantly, the love of Christ has been shared to people in a country that has walked away from God and the church.  It’s a harsh reality that is hard to understand by us American Christians.  It is an example of how quickly a nation can turn away from God and ultimately become a post-Christian society.  

Many of our friends here tell us that they see something in us they don’t witness in most of their fellow British.  We tell them that it’s a result of our relationship with and faith in Christ.   They can have the same if they just reach out and accept that free gift.  We are called here to bring this Good News!

England is a great nation full of great people that we’ve come to know and love.   Continue to pray for opened eyes and hearts in this wonderful town called Guisborough!

Peace

Our GetwellRoad team returned to the land of John Wesley Friday morning after a quick flight “across the pond”.  We were greeted by our friends of North Yorkshire in the town of Guisborough with a lunch at the Methodist church on High Street.  After resting the afternoon and getting adjusted to the six hour time difference, we were hosted to a BBQ at the home of Richard and Juanita Osborne.  Several of the families we have gotten to know over the years were there, and well as some of our teen British friends.

The next day on Saturday our hosts drove us to The Lake District for a day of hiking and planning for the week.  Spectacular scenery caught your eye in every direction.  The landscape is wild and untamed with the exception of the various villages located around the many lakes.  The landscape varies from rocky to grassy with occasional wild flowers dotting the scene, and narrow dirt paths winding through the hills and fells.  

As I was walking I was reminded of Christ’s words in Matthew 13, and our purpose here in England. 

“And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” (‭Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭3-9‬ ESV)

We have come here as sowers of The Word.  Over the four years we have returned, we have begun to see the results.  Some seeds have not taken root, while some have been scorched and withered.  Some have been choked out by the weeds.  But some have taken root and we are beginning to see growth.  Not massive growth but a “budding”, and that’s a start.  We saw some of that growth on Sunday during our times of serving at Guisborough Methodist Church and Guisborough Christian Fellowship.  

We split into two groups and attended both services with our team leading the kids in their version of a Sunday School.  After lunch our whole team led the young children in “Messy Church” with skits, videos, games, crafts and tea.  

  
We ended the day by leading the youth group at the Methodist church.  Hunter Books gave the message and facilitated the discussion.  I have to say it was one of the most meaningful times we have had with many questions being asked and answered by the team.  

Questions and discussions followed long after youth ended.  Some questions asked were the following:

Is God real?  How do we know we will go to Heaven?  What is faith?  Why can’t I go to Heaven if I simply do good? Is there a real Hell?  Why would God send people there?  Are demons real?  What makes you not be scared of dying?

Tough questions.  Seeds planted. Buds growing. God provides the growth. Continued prayers from our Getwell family back home requested!  Stay tuned.  More to come….

Peace