Salmon Swimmers: The Resilience and Courage to Fulfill God’S Purposes in the World

By Mary Lou Codman-Wilson Ph.D.

All followers of Jesus Christ are called to become people transformed by the Holy Spirit so we can live out Gods heart for the world in terms of Christs great commission. To do that often requires Christians to move against cultural sameness, familial expectations, secular norms, religious boundaries, and even personal emotional issues. Obedience to God in todays world requires the lifestyle of a Salmon Swimmera Christian equipped to overcome whatever obstacles keep them from fulfilling Gods global agenda. Such commitment has intriguing parallels to the journey of Atlantic salmon in their effort to swim upstream to spawn the next generation of salmon.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Dec 14, 2017
• ISBN: 9781973608608

Mary Lou Codman-Wilson Ph.D.

Dr. Mary Lou has been involved in cross-cultural relationships and global issues for many decades. In her positions as Executive Secretary for Church Renewal for World Evangelical Fellowship, and ACMC (Association of Church Missions Committees), she has taught extensively in the United States and Asia. She has also published an ESL-advanced curriculum, which was field tested with immigrants. Dr. Codman-Wilson is the pastor of a multi-ethnic house church for internationals in Wheaton, Illinois. The need for Salmon Swimmer Christians has been reinforced throughout her career.

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Copyright © 2017 Mary Lou Codman-Wilson, Ph.D.

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ISBN: 978-1-9736-0859-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-0861-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-0860-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017917971

WestBow Press rev. date: 12/11/2017

KJV: Taken from the King James Bible

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) (TNIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®, Today’s New International Version®, TNIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV, New International Version, TNIV, and Today’s New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

Contents

Endorsements

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter One   The Characteristics of Salmon Swimmer Christians

Chapter Two   Multiplying Disciplers

Chapter Three   Soaker Hoses

Chapter Four   Power Connectors

Chapter Five   Bible Believers

Chapter Six   Water Walkers

Chapter Seven   Prayer Warriors

Chapter Eight   Spiritual Reproducers

Chapter Nine   Mission Seekers

Chapter Ten   Eternal Investors

Epilogue

To those around the world who have modeled the Salmon Swimmer lifestyle, and those who have swum with me on this adventure of faith.

Endorsements

"As an InterVarsity staff and cross-cultural worker among international students, I found Mary Lou a model of Christ’s love for the world – devoted to Christ in her personal life, deeply committed to bringing the love of Christ to others, especially international students. She is keenly aware of cross-cultural differences and compassionate toward the stresses internationals face in American culture. Her book Salmon Swimmers reflects how passionately she longs for Christians to overcome any obstacles in their path in bringing God’s Kingdom purposes and a Spirit-guided, life-changing experience into their relationships. Her identification with spiritual leaders in other cultures, for example (chapter 1), should help us look beyond our own cultural insularity, identify with the common struggles we share with Christians in many cultures, and inspire a wide range of readership."

NED HALE – National Archivist, InterVarsity-USA, Former National Director of International Student Ministry for InterVarsity-USA, Staff, Assoc. of Christians Ministering among Internationals (ACMI), Wisconsin, USA.

"In this age of comfort and conformity, it is refreshing to read a story of someone who has swum against the stream and lived to write about it! In Salmon Swimmers, we are confronted with real stories of the author and others who have dared to do as the first Disciples of Christ did - stand out from the crowd and make a mark for the Kingdom regardless of the cost. I recommend this book to all those who thought that sacrifice was dead and who desire to be inspired by a woman who loves her Lord and has been willing to suffer in His service."

LESTER J. HIRST Ph.D. – Church Community Builder, Former Change Effectiveness Manager, Global Project Office, Compassion International, Colorado USA.

"Today’s Christians who take their discipleship seriously, must also take seriously the challenging global and urban context in which they live. Salmon Swimmers offers biblically based, spiritually sound, practical insights that can take discipleship from private piety with which we are most comfortable to public ministry with which we must engage. Like the salmon that we emulate, Christian discipleship ceases to be a chore – another thing we must do despite our busyness – but a challenging, joyful adventure."

REV. DR. SHANTA PREMAWARDHANA – President, Seminary Consortium for Urban Pastoral Education (SCUPE), Chicago, IL USA.

Mary Lou Codman-Wilson provides an engaging way for us to think about discipleship. She offers us significant images of the ways we live out this discipleship in everyday life. Of particular importance in this book is her recognition of the ways that culture, ethnicity and gender affects our journeys as Christian persons in the world. Using personal examples, she illustrates the living of faith. Too often, we simply live each day out of habit. She calls us to awareness — to understand how faith makes a difference in the ways we live each day.

JACK SEYMOUR, Ph.D. – Professor Emeritus of Religious Education, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, IL USA.

"There is nothing more important, significant and exciting than fulfilling God’s purpose in our lives. However, it has never been easy to do because of many physical, psychological, socio-cultural, as well as spiritual obstacles. Particularly, each of us deals with many psychological difficulties which require resiliency in order to fulfill the purpose of life God has designed for us. Salmon are the perfect picture of resiliency and single-mindedness.

In the book, Dr. Mary Lou Codman-Wilson shares not only her knowledge and observation, but also her personal experiences in fulfilling God’s purpose in her life and in helping others to do the same. That is the essence of discipleship."

ROBERT RAJAGUKUK, Ph.D. – Associate Professor of Psychology, Maranatha Christian University, Bandung, Indonesia, Associate Staff of the Navigators Ministry, Indonesia.

It’s been a delight to sit and soak in this innovative discipleship book. It provides great opportunity for meditation, discussion and application that is sure to stretch one holistically in his/her life with Christ.

CAROL DOBSON – M.Div., Psychotherapist, Minnesota, USA.

"Salmon Swimmers is the culmination of a life lived with a zeal and passion for the Lord that is contagious. It is a powerful call to join the author and the great cloud of witnesses that came before her as they responded to the call of God on their lives. This book is both contemporary and timeless in its call to swim against the flow of lukewarm Christianity and culture and is a must read for Christians of all ages."

GAIL SEWARD – Freelance writer, small group leader, Maryland, USA.

Acknowledgements

So many people have had a role in bringing Salmon Swimmers to publication. Many thanks to:

• The members of New Hope Bible Fellowship from Asia, Africa and the U.S.A. who field tested the contents of the book over a six-month period.

• Carol Dobson as a chief editor and Marti Shaver and Chris Devadatta as editors/proof readers.

• Britta Christensen-Finck and Sarah Swygart for their countless hours in typing, correcting, and formatting the manuscript and illustrations.

• Sam Wilson, Claire Nellessen and June Lu who made the original graphics to fit each chapter’s theme.

• Carmen Gundersen, Carol Dobson, Gail Seward, Ros Parrish, Na Brown and all our church members who have prayed this book through from conception to publication.

• All those I interviewed for this book.

• My colleagues who graciously endorsed the book.

• And my husband and extended family who provided encouragement and help all along the way.

I am so grateful for each of you.

Dr. Mary Lou

Introduction

The title Salmon Swimmers could lead one to assume this book is a cookbook featuring food recipes for fish, or a book on the nature and habits of fish. It is neither.

Instead, we discover that the salmon saga that God built into the fish called "salmo salar, Latin for the leaper,"² is a compelling metaphor for Christian discipleship. It is a challenging example from nature of achieving a life purpose against all odds. The salmon tenaciously fulfill the life goal God built into their bodies – by instinct. Christians are called to similar resistance and courage as they overcome all life’s obstacles to become part of God’s Kingdom agenda – by choice.

A Story from Nature

"July is a month you do not want to miss in South Central Alaska. Seventy degrees and sunny, you can find your way to the shores of the Copper River and see for yourself the Chinook – king salmon – as they make their way up the river to spawn. In smaller parts of the river the water glimmers red with the reflection of the salmons’ bodies. If you listen, you will hear the water breaking against the rocky bed of the river. And if you were standing at the same place as me, you would see a waterfall – flowing with energy over the rocks. A bush plane might break the trance of the river every now and then as it flies overhead – taking people to otherwise unreachable destinations. The bugs will be there as well, afraid that if it weren’t for them you may have too holy a moment.

Going steadily against the tumultuous waters, the salmon works tirelessly to surmount the waterfall and continue its upward swim to its original spawning grounds. I am enthralled at the tenacity and resilience of the salmon. No obstacle keeps them from fulfilling their quest. The waterfall area must be 11 feet high, yet the