Visit from Mark Caulk, pastor of Winding Creek Community Church (Stafford Va.), and Filip Lazeta, founder of Amos Action of Moral Solidarity

Recently we had a visit from Mark Caulk, pastor of [1]Winding Creek Community Church (Stafford Va.), and Filip Lazeta. Filip is from Croatia and heads up a ministry called Amos Action of Moral Solidarity. Pastor Caulk is a former missionary in Washington, and is serving as Mr. Lazeta’s host.

Mr. Lazeta said that Croatia has many needs. It is a post-communist country filled with drug abuse and corruption. He sees these things as idols that his countrymen worship. He said that Croatia needs to be like the United States. I found this statement to be very interesting. The United States also struggles, in a lesser way, with drugs and corruption, but we have our own idols – sex, money, alcohol, and power.

Mr. Lazeta has a good heritage. His grandmother taught him about God and his father was a Croatian war hero. At the age of 32, he has combined the influence of his grandmother and father and seeks to attack the corruption in his country with the love of Christ.

He has come to Washington to gather support. Basically, he wants organizations like Faith and Action to agree with his mission. If he can go back to Croatia with proof (i.e. signatories of his mission statement) that he has friends in high places, including senators and congressmen, it will send a strong message to the Croatian government that he is a powerful player. Mr. Lazeta’s life could be in danger, but obtaining friends in the United States will make the Croatian government think twice before they do anything to frustrate the mission of Amos Action of Moral Solidarity.

Pastor Caulk was very kind to me. Because of his experience on the hill, he had much wisdom to pass on. As you may know, I am struggling with my calling – whether to be a pastor or a politician. Because I know that the Gospel of Christ is the only thing that will heal our depraved culture, I have called into question the effectiveness of politics. Pastor Caulk said that both vocations are high callings, and I need to decide weather I am called to be a “Joseph” or a “Jeremiah.” He said that if I choose to be a “Joseph” it is imperative that I surround myself with Godly accountability. Washington has a tendency to destroy people’s morality, he said. Having accountability outside the influence of politics would guard me from corruption. God knows that politics does this to people. Therefore, he brought Joseph through many situations to build his character prior to giving him political power.

Joseph could not change people; he could only keep order (i.e. Genesis 47:13-26 when he distributed the grain during the 7 year famine). However, Jeremiah was told to “Go and proclaim [the word of the Lord] in the hearing of Jerusalem” (Jeremiah 2:2). The word of God changes people (Hebrews 4:12)! I’m listening for God and the question I’m asking is: should I be a Joseph, a Jeremiah, or something else?

[1] http://www.windingcreekchurch.org/