‘After Shock’ as a resource for wrestling with the crisis in Japan

How long will you hide your face from me?
— Psalm 13:1

How does one  Search for (and embrace) Honest Faith when

• your world is shaken?
• you’ve watched the world of others being shaken?
• you serve, minister to, walk with those whose world has been shaken?
• colleagues, family, friends bring the challenging question of where was your God?

At Jubilee 2011, I had the opportunity hear Kent Annan (author of After Shock: Searching for Honest Faith When Your World Is Shaken and codirector of Haiti Partners) and Enel Angervil (Haitian co-worker with Haiti Partners) share about their journey with God in Haiti.

Below’s a video drawn from Kent’s Annotated Wish List (After Shock. InterVarsity Press. 39).   Take a few minutes to prayerfully consider/wrestle with it.   Maybe watch it more than once as part of your Lenten devotions.

Breathe.

Then take a few minutes to read Enel’s story about surviving the collapse of his University classroom building.   Be challenged by and rejoice with me in Enel’s call to serve God in faith with hope (in God) in the midst of crisis.   Pray for Enel (& Kent’s) continued renewal, strength and perseverance in their work in Haiti as it no longer receives front page attention.

In my next post, I’ll share from Kent Annan’s After Shock: Searching for Honest Faith When Your World Is Shaken, but for today, let’s …

• pray for colleagues, members of the campus community, and their relatives as Tokyo’s Universities Shut Down Amid Radiation Fears (David McNeill. Chronicle of Higher Education. 3/15/2011) , Japan’s Universities Struggle to Recover From Earthquake and Tsunami (David McNeill. Chronicle of Higher Education. 3/14/2011) and U.S. Study Abroad Programs offer Differing Responses to Crisis in Japan (Quick Takes. Inside Higher Ed.3/17/2011).
  • As you may know, “Japan is the 11th-most-popular study-abroad destination, with 5,784 American students going there in the 2008-9 academic year, according to the Institute of International Education” [American Colleges Check On Students and Faculty in Earthquake-Damaged Japan. (Global Ticker. Chronicle of Higher Education. 3/11/2011).
    
  • Seeking some direction in prayer? I encourage you to begin with
    • Earthquake in Japan – How Do We  Pray? (Christine Sine. Godspace. 3/12/2011).
    • Praying through the above articles (for the people and structures involved) and for the wise use of technology in recovery/rescue, e.g., In Japan, Rescue Robots Are Poised to Go From Lab to Quake Scene (Ben Wieder. Chronicle of Higher Education. 3/15/2011).
• reflect upon how we walk with God through natural disasters in our communication rich world.
  • Where is God In the Midst of Disaster? (Christine Sine. Godspace. 3/15/2011)
  • On Hearing About an Earthquake (John Mark Reynolds. First Things. 3/11/2011.   HT: Veritas Forum FB Wall).
  • When Tragedies Are Too Big to Absorb, How Do We Find and Give Comfort? (Christine A. Scheller. Huffington Post. 3/14/2011).   HT:   Adrianna.
• consider investing in the recovery, but do so with wisdom.
  • Revisit   What’s the Best Way to Help Haiti? (Mike Hickerson. ESN Blog. 1/18/2010).
  • Japan: Christian Group Putting Down Stakes in Earthquake Area (Christianity Today liveblog. 3/16/2011).
  • World Vision: The latest from Japan. Read the news updates and watch the video with the eyes of Christ. Pray for the head, heart, and hands of Christ to be evident in relief, recovery, and rebuilding/redevelopment. Updated: 3/17/2011. 12:56 EST.
• Remember You Will Die (It Helps You to Be Alive) (Kent Annan. Huffington Post. 3/7/2011):     An Ash Wednesday post which is an excerpt from After Shock: Searching for Honest Faith When Your World Is Shaken.   HT:   Adrianna.

Finally, please pass along some of your own reflections, prayers, and/or links which you’ve found of encouragement/value. … More from After Shock: Searching for Honest Faith When Your World Is Shaken in a few days.