L'Abri

As I said before my interest was drawn to L'Abri because of my background, and it is similar, though on a much smaller scale, to what we have seen God do in our home.  Here are some insights I gained from the L'Abri Fellowship that one day could be applied in this ministry.

• Insight 1:  You need a deliberate and vibrant prayer life. 

According to Schaeffer, "We have established our purpose as this:  'To show forth by demonstration, in our life and work, the existence of God.'  We have in other words decided to live on the basis of prayer in several realms, so that we might demonstrate to any who care to look the existence of God.  We have set forth to live by prayer in these four specific realms:

1.  We make our financial and material needs known to God alone, in prayer, rather than sending out pleas for money.  We believe that He can put it into the minds of people of His choice the share they should have in the work.

2.  We pray that God will bring the people of His choice to us, and keep all others away.  There are no advertising leaflets, and this book is the first to be written about the work.

3.  We pray that God will plan the work, and unfold His plan to us (guiding us, leading us) day by day, rather than planning the future in some clever or efficient way in committee meetings.

4.  We pray that God will send the workers of His choice to us rather than pleading for workers in the usual channels (p. 16)."

• Insight 2: A balance between study and work makes for a successful Christian and ministry.

Who were the L'Abri guests, and what did they do?  The guests were students, professionals and even some families.  They varied in ages from early teens to sixties.  Spiritual growth came through one-on-one conversations, reading, listening to lectures in person and on tape, and in Schaeffer's words "half the day is spent entering into the practical work in a family setting (p. 15)."

The way I see it guests helped the ministry function and grow while they received from the ministry personally.  That is brilliant.  It is a two way street - receiving and giving all at once.

• Insight 3:  God is provider, with a capitol P.  Provider!

When our author answered the question of how this was all financed she said, "The factual human answer is that gifts come in from many different places, and are placed in a general fund out of which rents, mortgage payments and electric bills are paid, and the housekeepers are given money for food.  No one asks anybody to give money, however.  No pleas are made to human beings or organizations, and no pledges are asked for.  Guests and helpers at L'Abri do not pay anything, and all expenses for them are met out of the general fund (p.15)."

That is faith, with a capitol F, to trust God for all income.  They originally when to Switzerland as missionaries for a particular denomination.  When they felt God leading them to start L'Abri they resigned that position, i.e. no regular paycheck, and trusted Him with everything - food, shelter, even care for strangers in your home, and all of this in a foreign country.  WOW.

• Insight 4:  He equips uniquely for His purpose.

I wondered how one would be prepared to enter into a work like this before she gave this insight about her husband.  Mrs. Schaeffer writes that "God has given him an education in addition to unfolding a work (p.227)."

"We believe the people who have come, have come for help they themselves needed.  However, we believe God can do two things at once. (A masterpiece of understatement!)  In this case I am certain He brought people for their own sakes but also brought a variety of people as a training-ground and as a means of developing, in the arena of live conservations, that which Fran (her husband) is giving in his apologetic today (p. 226-227)."  (FYI.  He became a highly requested speaker about their work.)

How comforting that is to me.  We don't have to know it all before we begin.  They allowed God to unfold a plan, and He equipped them along the way. 

I love the way she summaries their story at the beginning of the book.  "The story which follows is one in which the author has attempted to show the reality that God exists, and that He is the One who has, time after time, answered prayer in the midst of well-nigh impossible circumstances to bring about something out of nothing (p. 17)."

Oh, Father, bring something out of nothing here in Nashville, Tennessee, with the Coppedge six.