Meet Andrew Suedkamp – HGE Board Member

Sharon and I consider ourselves extremely blessed regarding  those whom the Lord has given to us to serve as Board Members of Holy Ground Explorations .  Over the next few weeks I have asked them to post in our Blog section because I want you to know more than just their names.

So, this week we want you to meet our great friend ANDREW SUEDKAMP

Shalom

Dan

I’m Andrew Suedkamp, a participant in Holy Ground Explorations, KFIR, and frequenter of Israel, although maybe not as frequently as I’ve come to like! I am married to my beautiful bride, Tara, for 19 years and we have two great kids, Josh and Megan. Tara and I met at CU where she was studying nursing and I was enduring engineering. I’m still enduring engineering and Tara spends her time chasing our kids around. We live in Colorado and enjoy God’s beautiful creation in the mountains and on the rivers.

I’ve had the pleasure of going to Israel with Dan and Sharon numerous times the past several years. My first trip was intended to be a bucket-list trip, trip of a lifetime, first time/last time type trip, etc., but something really changed within my heart regarding Israel, the Jewish people, prophecy, and my faith in general. In addition to increasing my appetite for God’s word and His continual presence in my life, these trips have resulted in meaningful relationships both with those living in Israel as well as those leading and attending the trips. We firmly believe that we are called to Love and pray for the Jewish people, Israel, as well as their neighbors and their adversaries. One of the greatest ways that we can show our Love and support is simply to GO there! If you’re at all like me, you might be scared to death to go to the Mideast, but if you do take advantage of the opportunity to do so, your fear may transition from that of going to that of not having the opportunity to go back!

Although the following might be a departure from a normal Israel blog, it ties in with the theme of Love, which has impacted and convicted me this week in some of my studies.

 “Now there are different kinds of gifts, but the same spirit gives them. Also, there are different ways of serving, but the same Lord being served.   And there are different modes of working, but the same God working them all in everyone.” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6)

Lately I’ve been going through the book of First Corinthians. It seems to be trendy topic to explore spiritual gifts, and as I go through this chapter, I find myself looking inward to the abilities that God has bestowed upon me, as well as those abilities that He has given my wife, children, and friends.

Self-assessment into which particular gifts God has blessed us with can be an important, useful exercise provided that we first understand that it is God who gave each of us abilities that are unique to us, and most importantly, that those gifts are appointed so that we may glorify Him.

What really struck me this time going through a few of these chapters was not necessarily the discussion of gifts or the body of the Church, but rather, what followed. Immediately after Paul’s discussion of those gifts in Chapter 12 is his dissertation on Love in Chapter 13. I’ve always liked Chapter 13. I used it in my wedding as a depiction of the Love I strive to have for my wife, and (hopefully!) her Love for me. I mean, who doesn’t like love? But when I take it in the context of the spiritual gifts mentioned earlier, I am deeply convicted. I think all too often, there has been a separation of the gifts and the Love.

“I may speak in the tongues of men, even angels; but if I lack Love, I have become merely blaring brass or a cymbal clanging.” (13:1) I like to think I can speak or write or do certain other things pretty well, but if Love is not at the root of my speech or writing or other abilities, it is a clanging cymbal. If you have kids or been around any of them with a cymbal, it doesn’t sound like music, it’s annoying.

“I may have the gifts of prophecy, I may fathom all mysteries, know all things, have all faith, enough to move mountains; but if I lack love, I am nothing.” (13:2) I also am pretty comfortable (and although I loathe admitting it, prideful) about my intellectual abilities. Yet when not accompanied by Love, I AM NOTHING.

 “I may give away everything that I own, I may even hand over my body to be burned; but if I lack Love, I gain nothing.” (13:3) Generosity is great: I strive to be generous, but I think all too often that has been sole objective. The ability to be generous has been something that I’ve looked at as the end-all, not the Love (or lack thereof) that accompanied it…..and without Love, I’ve GAINED NOTHING.

Summarizing those gifts within the preceding paragraphs are the following: ABILITY, KNOWLEDGE, GENEROSITY, and SELF SACRIFICE. All of which are great traits that we probably all pray or have prayed that God blesses us with in one way or another, and all of which God has blessed us with in one way or another.   But a great tragedy occurs within the body of Christ (and certainly within my own life) when those gifts with which He lavishly blessed us are absent of God’s love.

“Yes, this is a command we have from Him: whoever Loves God must Love his brother too.” (1 John 4:21)

Too many times I focus on what I deem as great acts of Love: helping a person in financial need, investing in a broken person, jumping in front of a bullet, some great act of self sacrifice (like helping someone move), but sadly, I too often miss those casual encounters that I have throughout the day, I ignore the person who may just need a few kind words, I use “busyness” as an excuse to forgo a simple phone call to a hurting friend or colleague, and I consider my “brother” someone who is likeable and treats me well, not the “brother” who is challenging, disrespectful, hurtful or worse, someone who has wronged me, my family, or my friends.

When I really look at how I am characterized, I might say fun, maybe a bit humorous, possibly even generous or forgiving, but I wouldn’t usually say Loving. I have allowed the gifts that God has given me to be a substitute for genuine Love for others: Love that is patient and kind, not jealous, not boastful, not proud, rude or selfish, not easily angered, and keeping no record of wrongs. Love that does not gloat over other people’s sins but takes delight in the truth. Love that always bears up, always trusts, always hopes, always endures.

I can’t really recall the best speeches I’ve heard, the great sermons that really “spoke to me”, or even the best gifts people have given me, but I can vividly recall the various times that others have loved me when I’ve been hurting, depressed, scared, injured, or even when everything was just fine.

My prayer today for myself and for you is that we would truly assess our “Love” lives and pray that by abiding in Him, we will be more capable of having any gift that He has so graciously blessed us with be founded in Love, both for Him and for others, even those with whom the world would say are not deserving.

I hope to meet you in His land sometime soon; you’ll not regret it!

Regards and Shalom,

Andrew Suedkamp