|
Hi Lisa,
If you’ve ever read the book of Chronicles, you know it has a lot of lists. It doesn’t make for the most interesting reading. This fact makes an obscure verse 1 Chronicles 12:32 all the more interesting. The chapter has a list of all the men “armed for battle” that are joining David—even as David is still hiding from King Saul. In the middle of this list is this verse:
“from Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do—200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command;”
What I am most curious about is why the chronicler chose to include this fact about these men: that they understood the times and know what to do. Was the writer of the tribe of Issachar and wanted to boast? Was there something about this clan’s way of living that tended to nurture an understanding of the times? I can only speculate.
Lat week, our annual MDS Canada Board Executive gathering took place in Winnipeg. Each year in January, our board executive gathers to do some big picture thinking, talking, dreaming and planning. It is a time when we also dig deeper into any challenges and obstacles that may need to be worked on. It is a time when we seek to “understand the times” as it relates to helping homeowners recover from disaster.
I, once again, come away from this annual meeting deeply thankful for the leadership that God has gifted us in the MDS Canada Board. Each of the executive members comes from a different “tribe.” But each of them humbly seeks to discern together so that we will know what MDS Canada should do.
I am so grateful for each of the leaders—people like you—who work together to bring hope and healing in our broken world.
| 
