Christmas Greetings from Gary and Charlotte Wiley

It is impossible to summarize a year in just a few paragraphs, but as we have celebrated Advent over the past four Sundays it is symbolic of what has happened in our lives during 2007. Six years ago the course of our lives took a drastic change as we stepped away from ministry in Peru and embraced the Big Apple. We had no idea what living in the way of Jesus would look like in Manhattan. Honestly, much of that time felt like "spinning our tires" on slippery pavement, but the certainty that we were where we were supposed to be was something that we could not deny. In our time of transition of frustration, God took us from expectation, to confirmation that our Lord was working in our lives and in His world, to joy in the waiting, and finally to a realization of His peace.

Over the past eight months God has revealed that we are exactly where He called us to be--to participate in the establishment of His Kingdom in this city and beyond. We are thankful for the people He has brought into our lives and the opportunities He continually gives us to minister. The celebration of Christmas is all the richer this year as we harmonize with what God is doing in His world!

Our youngest, Eric, turned 18 this month! He is a senior in high school and anticipates graduating in June from the High School of American Studies. He works two days a week at Barnes & Noble, is active in F.A.T. (Faithful, Available and Teachable) Kids, and plans to go to India in February with a group from our church to minister in an orphanage of children from the lowest caste.

Michelle is home for Christmas after being away last year. She was appointed by Global Partners in August as a career missionary to continue working with the Karis people. She spent the fall months in Holland, Michigan. We are thankful for her life and commitment to minister in a very needy part of the world. Her plans include leaving the U.S. in the spring. Right now she is enjoying spending time with her niece Sophia.

Kristina, Jose and Sophia have had a busy year. Kristina continues as the office administrator for APA International and Jose is the merchandize manager at the Rockefeller Center J. Crew. Sophia is 20 months old and amazes us with her vocabulary. She know how to brighten a room and put a smile on your face. Grandma and Grandpa love every minute we spend with her. Sophia and her parents made a couple of trips to Peru in 2007 for two weddings and she was able to get better acquainted with her Abuelo and Abuela Torrejon. She also recently visited her great-grandparents Lawn in Pennsylvania.

Charlotte is having a growing impact as head nurse in the dermatology practice where she works. This has been a pivotal year for her to see how God is using her in that setting. Gary finished his first year as a manager in the Upper West Side Barnes & Noble. God has opened doors for touching lives there. One of the biggest things has been the community into which we have been privileged to worship and minister. Origins Church will celebrate two years of ministry at Easter and God is using it in a significant way. There is not enough space to tell what God is doing there, but we are thrilled to see the vision God gave us for Manhattan come to be through our involvement with Origins. We have been leading a Life Group since September and in 2008 will lead a missional community in Upper Manhattan. You can learn more about the ministry of Origins at www.originsnyc.com.

Had God reveled to us how He wanted to use us in Manhattan six years ago, we might have had second thoughts because it didn't fit our concept of ministry or how we had "always done it." Six years later we can see the wisdom of God who gives us hope in the darkness and gives us joy in the waiting, and fills our hearts with peace. As we celebrate the birth of Jesus and the wonderful opportunity He gives each of us to participate with Him so that His will is done on earth as it is in heaven, our prayer is that you will be filled with His hope and peace. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

October Recap

As I write today there are only two months left to this year! The month of October was full and eventful and brought more evidence of the exciting things that God is doing in our lives and the plans and purpose He has for us.



The door for effective ministry continues to open. One of my coworkers has been very open with me about his search for God. He has come to our Life Group and we have been able to eat dinner together away from work to talk about his spiritual search. Also, my former manager has recently transferred to my present store. We have had some interesting conversations in the past and now we have the opportunity to work together again. Charlotte and I continue to view our jobs as an opportunity to minister--not overtly, but through our words and actions, allowing God to be seen in us. It's a challenge, but God is faithful!


One of the highlights of October for me was attending a book signing on Staten Island. Brian McLaren was there to discuss his new book "Everything Must Change." I will mention more about his book in my October Reading section. However, as I was one of the first ones there, I had about 15 minutes to chat with Brian. Over the past five years his writings have had a tremendous impact in my life and have given me a strong passion to see God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven. It was great to meet up there with a group from the Origins community. I was able to blaze the trail on subways, ferry and bus to a "remote outpost" of NYC ahead of the group.


Charlotte and I, along with about 75-80 people from Origins, took part in the Strength Finder's Seminar on October 6, led by Eric Bryant from Mosaic Church in Los Angeles. We found the seminar very helpful as it focused on our strengths (resource developed by Gallop Organization) and how them relate to ministry. My number one strength is "communication," maybe that is one of the reasons I have to do this blog!


Over five years ago when we moved into Washington Heights we really wanted to be able to impact our community for the Kingdom. While our original plans have been modified greatly, God's original intent has not. Charlotte and I are leading a Life Group through Origins that is taking a serious look at Jesus' call and our response. We are working our way through the Sermon on the Mount. There is a growing consensus and passion for our community "Up in the Heights" where most of us live. We represent at least 10 different buildings in this community and are seeking ways to share God's love in creative ways with our neighbors. I look forward to updating our "baby steps."

We've had some fun this month with a apple picking trip to New Paltz, NY. We rented a ZipCar and made a quick trip 90 minutes out of the city, had lunch in New Paltz, connected with others from Origins who had gone for the day, and brought home half a bushel of apples--all in time for me to be at work by 4:30. Another special occasion was this week celebrating Charlotte's birthday. It was fun taking her flowers at work and enjoying a wonderful meal at our favorite Peruvian restaurant Pio Pio Salon. Thanks Chris and Julia for joining us!

October Reading...
Allow me to share where my reading has taken me this past month. It was been varied, but for the most part very interesting.

Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope by Brian McLaren. This was no doubt one of the most significant books I have read. The author considers it a companion piece to his earlier The Secret Message of Jesus. The bottom line is that the message of Jesus has everything to say about the global crises we face today. There were times that the message of the book was so heavy I had to put it down. But as I read the last four chapters I found myself weeping with joy at the prospect that there is hope to make a difference through the Kingdom principles of Jesus!

The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs provided some comic relief from the deep themes of the previous book. Jacobs is an Esquire editor, of Jewish descent who previously had read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica (30,000 pages), and took as his next project to read the entire Bible and try to live one year observing every commandment, rule, or precept. Since he is Jewish he spent the first eight months in the Old Testament and the last four months in the New Testament. There were times I laughed out loud reading Jacobs' experiences with Scripture, but there was also some depth and food for thought in his writing.

Peppermint-Filled Pinatas: Breaking through Tolerance and Embracing Love by Eric Michael Bryant. The author oversees the leadership team at Mosaic in Los Angeles and led the Strength Finders Seminar we attended. Lighter reading than McLaren but still packs a punch as he challenges us to love our neighbors and fulfill the vision Jesus had for us from the beginning.

Nobodies: Modern American Slave Labor and the Dark Side of the New Global Economy by John Bowe was a new subject for me, but motivated by my growing interest in fair trade products. Knowledge is dangerous, so that now that I know that workers (most immigrants, many illegal) are exploited to pick oranges, apples, other fruits/vegetables, even make clothes "Made in the USA," I cannot go back to my previous innocence. Wow! A challenging field for followers of Jesus to step into.

Not all of my reading was so heavy...

Tales from the Reds Dugout by Tom Browning...junk reading for Reds fans! Sorry all you others!

White Noise by Don DeLillo...winner of the 1985 National Book Award for Fiction. College professor deals with his own mortality and insecurities.

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson...very popular mystery by Scottish author...sells well in our store...but not my cup of tea!

Love to hear your impressions if you have read any of the books I mention...or other impressions as well.

To steal a phrase from Brian McLaren...

Plotting goodness,

Gary

September in a Nutshell

It's my favorite time of year--fall! The temperatures have not caught on yet, but fall signals the beginning of football season, baseball playoffs (even though my team didn't come close), beautiful autumn leaves, and pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks (or the B&N Cafe)!

I am convinced that the month of September races the quickest across the calendar. It only has one less day than July and August, so why is it? I have to believe it has a lot to do with the increase in activities--things starting up after the summer months, and of course the yearly reminder that I have become another year older and hopefully wiser! I had a nice, quiet celebration. Kristina (my daughter), Eric (my son), and Sophia (my granddaughter) had the day off, thanks to Rosh Hashanah, and took me out for breakfast. Charlotte surprised me at work that evening by bringing me my favorite meal: Eggplant Parmesan, and we had a lovely meal on the bench in the median of Broadway and 82nd. Michelle (my daughter) sent me Mackinaw Island fudge from Michigan, and other goodies and greetings came my way. Charlotte reminded me that I had asked God to show me some direction during my 50th year and he has been gracious to show me that my life is in his hands and that he has a purpose for me!

Some of the blessings of September have been our Life Group that has met twice. Jeremy's report of the trip to the orphanage in India really gripped our collective hearts and consciousness. We are working our way through Matthew under the theme of "Jesus' Call, Our Response." We also took part in the walk for PKD (Polycystic Kidney Disease) on a beautiful Sunday morning with many from the Origins community. Charlotte and I were able to experience the Origins Chelsea service in the evening. We also took part in a rooftop party on the UWS for Environmental Justice. We were challenged to be better stewards of what God has given us.

Charlotte has begun to take her lunch (30 minutes) to walk and pray for her office and staff. There have been some definite answers to prayer already. She also attended the first fall benefit for RESTORE NYC at the Yale Club. Faith Huckel, who is a part of the leadership community of our church, shared her vision for starting the first safe house in NYC for victims of sex trafficking.

My coworker who asked me to pray for him during a heart episode at work, shared this week that he needs to get back to God. It has been so amazing, because it is so obvious that the Holy Spirit is at work in his life.

I will leave you with some of my September reading titles:

"A Matter of Justice" by David A. Nichols, chronicles the role of Dwight Eisenhower in Civil Rights--that he did more than Truman, Kennedy and Johnson combined.

"The Barbarian Way" by Erwin Raphael McManus (birthday gift from Eric), amazing little book that challenged me to "let go of a sanitized Christianity and get back to the powerful, raw, and ancient faith that chooses revolution over compromise, peril over safety, and passion over lukewarm and watered-down religion."

"Giving" by Bill Clinton, excellent resource for living more responsibly as a steward!

"The Preacher and the Presidents" by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy--two Time reporters take a look at the relationship that Billy Graham had with 11 presidents and his struggle to minister to them and yet not be swayed or corrupted by temporal power.

"Shopping for God" by James B. Twitchell--subtitle (How Christianity went from in your heart to in your face). The author describes himself as an "apatheist," but has some interesting insights to the marketing of church in our time.

"The Long Ball" by Tom Adelman--a creatively written history of the 1975 baseball season that altered the face of the sport, and in which my beloved Reds won the World Series...thanks for letting me indulge in faint memories!

"Run" by Ann Patchett, new book by the author of "Bel Canto"--nice story, but a little too happily ever after. Now I know what to say to the customers who ask for a recommendation!

Have a great October!

Gary

6 years, 6 months, 6 weeks, 6 days

I woke up Saturday morning in Greenwich, CT, taking part in a retreat with Origins Church where Charlotte and I have been attending since late April. I didn't sleep particularly well, but when I did achieve consciousness I was distinctly aware of God's presence with me. In that early morning quietness some things became very clear for me: I am in New York City for a purpose and that purpose is to take part in a missional community. It is a call that God put in my life about six years ago that eventually brought us to Manhattan. During most of that time as God has been at work in my life and I have been struggling to understand my place in His Kingdom, I have felt like Moses in the wilderness, wondering why I had "left Egypt."

About six months ago Charlotte and I began to attend Origins Church and found a community that was living in harmony with their stated mission: "Living in the way of Jesus...in the context of the city...with heart for the world." At the retreat our pastor Jon shared more in detail what living in the way of Jesus means: 1) Identity--living as dearly loved children of God, 2) Community--being called into a new family through the blood of Jesus, and 3) Mission--called to something bigger than ourselves. God made it so clear to me Saturday morning that He has called me to this and has been using this "wilderness" time to prepare me for this. He has brought many experiences and relationships into my life that now intersect at this point.

About six weeks I renewed a weekly time together with a dear brother in Christ. We talked about being a friend like Jonathan was to David in the Old Testament, who was not afraid to speak truth into David's life--something David lacked desperately after Jonathan's death. So a few weeks ago we agreed to live in that way--whatever the cost! That has been a tremendous blessing and challenge, but a key ingredient to living in the way of Jesus...in the context of this incredible and needy city!

So in the past six days God has given me insight into how He has been working, not so my life is safer or saner or financially more secure--but for the great adventure we are all called to. Last evening we had our first time together as a Life Group and I asked the group to describe their spiritual pilgrimage over the past six months, or six weeks, or six days. It was exciting to hear how God is working...taking in a coworker who doesn't believe in God and doesn't have a place to live because she just broke up with her boyfriend...proactively promoting a walk for Polycystic Kidney Disease because a roommate has PKD and that roommate who is burned out on the church because of previous exposure, is now very open to the expression of love that she has seen through our community...being a genetic counselor at a major medical center wondering how she could have an impact for Christ and realizing that God has place other believers in the same office that He wants to use to minister through their professional skills. God is helping Charlotte and me also recognize that we have an incredible opportunity to minister in our jobs. When we head off to work--it is ministry, pure and simple!

I mentioned the walk for PKD. Our group will be walking this Sunday morning at 10:00 in Battery City Park with others of the Origins Community. If you are interested in participating by walking or giving connect at www.pkdcure.org

I finished an interesting book called "A Matter of Justice" by David A. Nichols that recounts the role of Dwight Eisenhower in civil rights in the 50s. It gives a new perspective on Ike.

It is exciting to hear how God is working in His world through His children. Share with me as you have a chance.

Monday, August 27, 2008

Yesterday Charlotte and I celebrated 29 years of marriage. We had a quiet celebration that included lunch with friends from church and a late afternoon dessert with Kristina, José, Sophia, and Eric. The day before we had brunch at a restaurant we had wanted to try—Good Enough To Eat—and it was!
The five plus years we have lived in Manhattan are the longest continuous stretch we have lived in any one place. Our years in Lima were interrupted by three home ministry stints. So we now begin our 30th year of marriage and our sixth year in the Big Apple.
Charlotte and I are enjoying reading together. We have always done it while traveling, and our recent trip to Michigan/Indiana was no exception. On the way out she drove and I read A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah who was a boy soldier in Sierra Leone in the 1990s. We highly recommend it to you to get a better picture of what happens to so many children in countries torn by war, especially in Africa. On the way home we read The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. That too is quite a story. So now we have decided to set some time aside even while we are home and share some books together.
We are excited about the coming weeks and the fall season. We will be attending a leadership community retreat in Greenwich, CT, with Origins Church on September 7-8. We look forward to renewing our small group on September 9. We are thrilled that one of the members of our group, Jeremy, is leading a team to India to minister in an orphanage during the month of September.
I have been challenged recently by a book by Tony Campolo and Mary Albert Darling, The God of Intimacy and Action. The book attempts to reconnect ancient spiritual practices, evangelism and justice. To be honest I have been struggling to put it into practice, yet I see how powerful is the connection between intimacy with God and being a true follower of Christ. I have never really participated in contemplative spiritual practices but I can see where this will lead to greater intimacy with God and the outflow will be greater passion for reaching out to others through spreading the Good News and being involved in justice issues. I remember years ago sitting through Keith Drury’s Stratogetics and being impressed with the “ministry wedge”—if we concern ourselves with the depth of our lives, God will take care of the breadth. That’s what I want to see happen.
I appreciated hearing back from some of you. It was an encouragement to have been an encouragement. This is truly an exciting time to live and make a difference in this world.

Seeking His face,

Gary

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

The temperatures are in the mid 90s today, so hot and humid! Charlotte and I are both off this week on vacation, although Charlotte had to work Monday and Tuesday. Michelle is home. She flew in from Central Asia a week ago and it has been so nice to have her back. This Friday we are driving her out to Michigan and then Indiana. She will be in the Midwest for the next three months. Eric is busy working at Barnes & Noble and taking a summer school class.

Yesterday I closed out our storage space that we have had since moving to Manhattan. We are in the process of downsizing. We have things that we have not seen in five years and figure the money we were spending on storage can go to a better cause. In between trips to Yonkers to bring our "stuff" home I met with Jon Tyson who is our pastor--pastor of Origins Church of NYC. We have been attending Origins since April 22 of this year and it has been an amazing experience for us. Origins is just over a year old and meets in two locations in Manhattan. We attend the service on the Upper West Side that meets at the Triad Theater. The vision statement for Origins is "Living in the way of Jesus, in the context of the city, with a heart for the world." Jon is a native of Australia who studied for the ministry at Toccoa Falls (GA), was on staff at a church in Orlando, FL, but has had a passion for New York City and a heart for church planting. The story of how we got to Origins is long, but definitely of God, and we look forward to following our call to "live in the way of Jesus, in the context of the city, with a heart for the world."

What motivated me to write this diary, and hopefully and intentionally be in more regular contact was reading through some of the things that were in our storage--copies of our "Wileys' Weekly Wrap-up" and "Every Nation Updates." The call that God placed on our lives to come to Manhattan has not changed in the five years that we have been here. While it is true that the church we hoped to plant did not come about, God did not remove the burden for this city from our heart. This past Sunday as Jon began a new series on "Christ and Culture," he mentioned that only .05% of the population of Manhattan are believers--that's less than the percentage in Japan! Our plans have changed considerably, but our call hasn't changed, nor has the God who called us!

Charlotte is still working on the Upper East Side for a dermatologist. The work is challenging and opportunities to share Christ are more in actions and attitudes than in words. Most recently she is ministering to the office manager who just lost her mother and has been bitter toward God for over 20 years. Gary is a department manager at Barnes & Noble on the Upper West Side. Recently one of the booksellers experienced an irregular heartbeat and while waiting for EMS asked Gary to pray for him. It seemed somewhat surreal praying for him right beside the information desk.

God is giving opportunities to connect and minister through the church family at Origins. We have been intentional in meeting with people after worship--seeking to create a culture in which Christ is exalted and people find their truest expression in Him. That calls for us to be fully present--to be shapers of culture. People in our circle of influence are in all walks of life and are learning to take seriously the call to represent Christ to Manhattan and beyond.

Just recently Charlotte and I were talking about why we are still living in Manhattan. I mentioned that there are few places as challenging to be a follower of Christ as Manhattan--a lot of raw life--up close and personal (especially in the subway)--people constantly in your face, but at the same time, nothing more rewarding than living for Christ here. We believe we have found the place where God wants us to live, grow and minister--touching lives and creating a God-honoring culture that will make a difference in our world and for eternity.

We would love to interact with you about the challenge and privilege of creating a culture where Christ is exalted and people find their truest expression in Him.

Until next time,

Gary and Charlotte