Discovering the mystery is taking time to step back and see Christ working in us, through us and around us, this is the mystery of the Holy Spirit. Today was another incredible day of experiencing God´s love in our Peruvian neighbors. We traveled out to the village of Isolina to be part of Kokí and Elisabeth´s Sunday School class, which they serve over 80 students out of their home, this would be known in the USA as a satalite sunday school class. In the village homes are not big, nor is their property, I have a picture of this incredible class, that happens every single week. This class is what you expect, meet together for songs, prayer, and celebrating birthdays, then dividing by age for Bible study in their classrooms.
You could sense the joy and desire they have to learn more about Jesus and who he is in their lives. I saw Bibles of teenagers that were actually falling apart because they were so well loved and used. The energy and desire to praise God was a joyous blessing to be part of--we also distrubed t'shirts, Bibles, and toothbrushes to the students and other children in the community.
Spending time with the Luz Divina church celebrating their 30th anniversary brought a new meaning to community, not only were they celebrating, but they celebrated in the streets, which brought the community together for games, conversation, and dancing--un perfecto! I was surprised to see my new amiga Jessi there--she came down from the village of New Jersalem to be there, she said she wanted see me once again, her husband was working so her and her son came down from the village for the celebration, I don´t believe the attend Luz Divina, but was fun to see her at the celebration.
Playing Bingo at the celebration, I needed help because I know most numbers in Spanish, but I was not quick enough to play bingo alone, so I asked this lady who was sitting beside me to help me out--with a smile, she said, si (yes). The second game, we won--she was so excited and so was I! Another person won, so we shared the prize, a 50 lb bag of rice, the two people who won, divided the bag of rice into containers and then I helped mi amiga carry the rice to her casa--with our translator Fernando by my side, we walked up to the third floor, and their house was a 10 by 12 foot room, for 3 adults and 1 child. Through our translator I discover how grateful they all were and that she was going to get a bingo card earlier and then discovered they were 2 soli, which she was not able to afford, she was so blessed when I asked her to play bingo with me and we won. She asked when I would be back as she wanted to give me a gift. This again reaffirms something I have gained from here is a new perspective on scarcity and abundance. From the American perspective we see them living in scarcity, but the reality is, the live in abundance and give because the desire to, they feel like they have enough and want to give because they are so grateful--whereas most Americans tend to always want more, or something else, or the newest this or the best that. We can all learn from my new amigos in Peru, to live in abundace and share the blessings instead of seeking more or something else. Fernando just reminded me what a huge help win rice was for this family.
There is more from today, but that is all for now. We leave Lima late tomorrow night--we will visit the Inca Market tomorrow and then back to Luz Divina and to say goodbye to all our Peruvian amigos.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Peru, Amigos in Cristo
Today part of our group stayed in Marquez around the Luz Divina area and I went with the group that went to a village called Jerusalem. To get to this village we drove up a dirt road, along a river with a steep embarkment with trash in the river and all around the river. A couple days ago people in our group built a small building that will be used for Sunday School since the church is about an hour walk away. Public buildings are often painted blue, so of course we painted the building that color. The village is only able to access water four about 2 hours a day, in which they all must get the necessary water for the entire day. I bought a coke at the store in the village, for 0.80 soles, which is just a little over 60 cents, so I overpaid, and she was so gracious for the extra $$, which is the least I can do.
I need to share pictures of this, but the building is on a slab of concrete on the side of a hill and therefore, we were not going to be able to paint the front because we had no ladder, after talking to a couple people who lived there, one went to find a roller brush they had and the other went and found a very long stick as well as wire... within 10 minutes, we had the roller we needed to paint the front... and all morning we were wondering how that was going to get done...
My friend Jenna made some domino necklaces for me to share with people I meet in Peru and today I meet two ladies in the village whom I shared this gift with. Earlier in the day Lena invited me to her casa to see her baby, 4 months old, I have pictures to share, sooo cute. She was so happy and excited for the visit. I later met her neighbor Jessica, and shared the gift with them, she shared about her family and I had pictures of my family I shared with them. Then we went on to Jessi´s house, and I wasn´t sure what was going on, but later discovered, they wanted to share a gift with me, which I will also share with Jenna. I have experienced amazing and genuine hospitality in my life, but never with such care and excitment for being such strangers. I have a few pictures with them and also of their homes, simple, yet all that they need.
My day concluded at Luz Divina, with hugs and conversation with the kids--we later met them at the ´water park´ which is really a park full of fountains and lights and music, gorgeous for sure! It cost just a little more than $1 to get in, which something of this caliber would probably cost more than $10 in the USA. Dinner and conversation ended yet another late, but blessed day--God continues to be reveal through the people and the expèriece in this place.
I need to share pictures of this, but the building is on a slab of concrete on the side of a hill and therefore, we were not going to be able to paint the front because we had no ladder, after talking to a couple people who lived there, one went to find a roller brush they had and the other went and found a very long stick as well as wire... within 10 minutes, we had the roller we needed to paint the front... and all morning we were wondering how that was going to get done...
My friend Jenna made some domino necklaces for me to share with people I meet in Peru and today I meet two ladies in the village whom I shared this gift with. Earlier in the day Lena invited me to her casa to see her baby, 4 months old, I have pictures to share, sooo cute. She was so happy and excited for the visit. I later met her neighbor Jessica, and shared the gift with them, she shared about her family and I had pictures of my family I shared with them. Then we went on to Jessi´s house, and I wasn´t sure what was going on, but later discovered, they wanted to share a gift with me, which I will also share with Jenna. I have experienced amazing and genuine hospitality in my life, but never with such care and excitment for being such strangers. I have a few pictures with them and also of their homes, simple, yet all that they need.
My day concluded at Luz Divina, with hugs and conversation with the kids--we later met them at the ´water park´ which is really a park full of fountains and lights and music, gorgeous for sure! It cost just a little more than $1 to get in, which something of this caliber would probably cost more than $10 in the USA. Dinner and conversation ended yet another late, but blessed day--God continues to be reveal through the people and the expèriece in this place.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Peru Adventures, Discovering the presence of God
There is so much I am learning and so much I am pondering, here is my attempt to capture my first day experiencing Peru and the presence of Christ in my midst in a new place for me. I am not sure if words can capture my experience today, but I will attempt to fill you in a little about what I experienced.
Wow, today was definitely transformational. I am not sure I can process my experience so quickly--but I will share a few general thoughts. We rode a bus through a neighborhood on a mountainside just on the edge of Lima (can´t remember the name right now) and people would actually go and build what they could of a house to claim the rocky side of a mountain--houses are what you would expect, not much. We also visited Opèracion San Andres, which provides medical care and a day program-library for the children--more about this later. (Headed by a medical doctor the OSA group is actually based out of Houston). I was absolutely amazed by this group, but their consistent care and compassion for this community. They come down every 6 months to operate a health care clinic, where the day program is all year--the doctor has been bringing groups of people for 8 years and mentions that their visits are not about health care, but about the relationships that have continued through the years. This doctor is so right in many ways and we often don´t get that--mission trips are more than building houses, but they are about building partnerships and relationships with communities that flourish and thrive from year to year.
We spend the afternoon at Luz Divina, learning about the congregation and the history. I was also blessed to spend a couple hours with the children--the first being another friend from the group Tim and I and about 10-20 kids, just hanging out, tossing a football on the street. We probably went 15 minutes without words, just laughter--how amazing, I think laughter and God´s love are two things that are universal. Tossing the football eventually led to conversation and me trying to communicate in Spanish--I am not amazing, but seemingly I knew enough where we could communicate, or we would figure it out. These kids have so little, but yet they have so much love to give. Where else in the world would kids sit on the street curb with me and try to attempt having a conversation? Where they ask about how old I am or ask about my family--such curious people! I have noticed a few head turns and stares at the blonde hair on my head, I don´t really blend in here.
All in all, I experienced the love of Christ in a way never before and my heart yearns for these people who live simply because they must and they live at a slower pace because that is the culture--they cherish relationships and that is evident in their community. The love of Christ is present in these communities and they exemplify the love of Christ to the people they encounter.
Wow, today was definitely transformational. I am not sure I can process my experience so quickly--but I will share a few general thoughts. We rode a bus through a neighborhood on a mountainside just on the edge of Lima (can´t remember the name right now) and people would actually go and build what they could of a house to claim the rocky side of a mountain--houses are what you would expect, not much. We also visited Opèracion San Andres, which provides medical care and a day program-library for the children--more about this later. (Headed by a medical doctor the OSA group is actually based out of Houston). I was absolutely amazed by this group, but their consistent care and compassion for this community. They come down every 6 months to operate a health care clinic, where the day program is all year--the doctor has been bringing groups of people for 8 years and mentions that their visits are not about health care, but about the relationships that have continued through the years. This doctor is so right in many ways and we often don´t get that--mission trips are more than building houses, but they are about building partnerships and relationships with communities that flourish and thrive from year to year.
We spend the afternoon at Luz Divina, learning about the congregation and the history. I was also blessed to spend a couple hours with the children--the first being another friend from the group Tim and I and about 10-20 kids, just hanging out, tossing a football on the street. We probably went 15 minutes without words, just laughter--how amazing, I think laughter and God´s love are two things that are universal. Tossing the football eventually led to conversation and me trying to communicate in Spanish--I am not amazing, but seemingly I knew enough where we could communicate, or we would figure it out. These kids have so little, but yet they have so much love to give. Where else in the world would kids sit on the street curb with me and try to attempt having a conversation? Where they ask about how old I am or ask about my family--such curious people! I have noticed a few head turns and stares at the blonde hair on my head, I don´t really blend in here.
All in all, I experienced the love of Christ in a way never before and my heart yearns for these people who live simply because they must and they live at a slower pace because that is the culture--they cherish relationships and that is evident in their community. The love of Christ is present in these communities and they exemplify the love of Christ to the people they encounter.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
In the Chaos: God is present
The definition of chaos is: "a state of utter confusion or disorder; a total lack of organization or order." Lately my life has seemed to exemplify a great example for chaos and I am just living life one day at a time. While I was on a long run last night I began to think about how I was not stressing out, nor have I been trying to solve everything that's going on, and realizing that somethings will just remain unfinished, and I have just living in the chaos. We are called to live in the chaos, to seek out the presence of God in our midst and in the midst of all the chaos. God gives us a purpose and the strength to live in the chaos.
Today I am leaving with people from Living Word to go visit our brothers and sisters in the Lima, Peru area. My prayers have been that I slow down and take time to discover the presence of God in the chaos of everyday life and in this experience. I am blessed to be going to make connections for future youth and family mission trips and I look forward to experience the love of Christ in a new way. I don't have any expectations, as I wouldn't know where to begin. I am not bring much more than clothes and a big bag of smarties candies, my journal and my Bible. I pray this is an experience where I continue to seek God and see beyond myself into this world and who God has created us all to be as loving brothers and sisters in Christ.
Prayers for good health, patience, and smiles. Also prayers that my heart, mind, and spirit be renewed and transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
May you see the presence of God in the chaos of life, no matter the circumstance you are encountering this day. Where is it that you see God today?
Today I am leaving with people from Living Word to go visit our brothers and sisters in the Lima, Peru area. My prayers have been that I slow down and take time to discover the presence of God in the chaos of everyday life and in this experience. I am blessed to be going to make connections for future youth and family mission trips and I look forward to experience the love of Christ in a new way. I don't have any expectations, as I wouldn't know where to begin. I am not bring much more than clothes and a big bag of smarties candies, my journal and my Bible. I pray this is an experience where I continue to seek God and see beyond myself into this world and who God has created us all to be as loving brothers and sisters in Christ.
Prayers for good health, patience, and smiles. Also prayers that my heart, mind, and spirit be renewed and transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
May you see the presence of God in the chaos of life, no matter the circumstance you are encountering this day. Where is it that you see God today?
Friday, November 6, 2009
Shine Where You Are
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…hide it under a bushel? NO! I’m gonna let it shine… This verse connects with Matthew 5:14-16—part of the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus says,” 14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
This past week, I’ve been thinking a lot about this song and wonder, what does it mean to let our light shine? What is the light that shines? There are numerous scripture metaphors and references using light and the more I think about the image of light, the more beautiful I see these metaphors. Looking at John 1, Jesus is the life and the light of all people. John 1:5 says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it,” can be understood as Jesus shines in the darkness, and the darkness will not overcome . The question of how is Jesus shining in the darkness in our lives?
Being human, we yearn for light. When I was a backpack guide in Colorado, after a long day, 6am-11pm of guiding the group and making sure we were on the right path, had food to eat, water to drink, leading Bible study, games and being sure everyone was healthy, I yearned for time to read a book or write in my journal. Often times, my alone time was at 11pm at night, when we were 7 miles from the trailhead and there was no light around besides flashlights. When I turned my flashlight on, bugs began to pester me. I yearned for light so I could see, so I would shine it to corner in my tent, the light was present, but I was unable to read my book. The light is sometimes a challenge for us to see the details, but knowing that the light is there brings comfort and peace.
Jesus is the light that shines through us—how is Jesus shining through you and how you live your life? Letting the light of Christ shine through you is not a requirement, but a response to the grace and presence of Christ in our lives. Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness; the darkness will not overcome Jesus, but will sustain and be the stronghold through all challenges encountered in this world.
Jesus is the light of the world, and Jesus is the light that shines through you. What you do in this world is not about you and not to shine yourself into the spotlight in this world. The good news is that Jesus is present in who you are as a child of God and you have the call to live in this world and let that light shine through you.
Let the light shine through you in not some parts of your life, but all parts of your life, each and every day. You may not be able to read the words on this current page of life, but the light of Christ is present and you know the truth and that is that Jesus died on the cross and forgives all your sins; may you respond to this love and grace and let the light of Christ shine through you. May you love your neighbor as yourself and let the light of Christ shine.
I’d like to close with my favorite camp song that reminds us to live in the present moment and shine where we are:
You are the light of the world.
You are the light of the world.
So shine, shine, shine where you are.
You are the light of the world.
This little light of mine, I am going to let it shine—may this be your mantra for the weeks to come.
This past week, I’ve been thinking a lot about this song and wonder, what does it mean to let our light shine? What is the light that shines? There are numerous scripture metaphors and references using light and the more I think about the image of light, the more beautiful I see these metaphors. Looking at John 1, Jesus is the life and the light of all people. John 1:5 says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it,” can be understood as Jesus shines in the darkness, and the darkness will not overcome . The question of how is Jesus shining in the darkness in our lives?
Being human, we yearn for light. When I was a backpack guide in Colorado, after a long day, 6am-11pm of guiding the group and making sure we were on the right path, had food to eat, water to drink, leading Bible study, games and being sure everyone was healthy, I yearned for time to read a book or write in my journal. Often times, my alone time was at 11pm at night, when we were 7 miles from the trailhead and there was no light around besides flashlights. When I turned my flashlight on, bugs began to pester me. I yearned for light so I could see, so I would shine it to corner in my tent, the light was present, but I was unable to read my book. The light is sometimes a challenge for us to see the details, but knowing that the light is there brings comfort and peace.
Jesus is the light that shines through us—how is Jesus shining through you and how you live your life? Letting the light of Christ shine through you is not a requirement, but a response to the grace and presence of Christ in our lives. Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness; the darkness will not overcome Jesus, but will sustain and be the stronghold through all challenges encountered in this world.
Jesus is the light of the world, and Jesus is the light that shines through you. What you do in this world is not about you and not to shine yourself into the spotlight in this world. The good news is that Jesus is present in who you are as a child of God and you have the call to live in this world and let that light shine through you.
Let the light shine through you in not some parts of your life, but all parts of your life, each and every day. You may not be able to read the words on this current page of life, but the light of Christ is present and you know the truth and that is that Jesus died on the cross and forgives all your sins; may you respond to this love and grace and let the light of Christ shine through you. May you love your neighbor as yourself and let the light of Christ shine.
I’d like to close with my favorite camp song that reminds us to live in the present moment and shine where we are:
You are the light of the world.
You are the light of the world.
So shine, shine, shine where you are.
You are the light of the world.
This little light of mine, I am going to let it shine—may this be your mantra for the weeks to come.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
An Undeserving Gift for Everyone
I grew up on a farm in Small town South Dakota, where I went to school with 38 total kids in my grade. My family was part of the local Lutheran Church called Grace Lutheran Church. As a child when I heard the word Grace, I thought people were talking about where I went to church, “oh yes, we go to Grace,” to me “Grace” was where I went to church.
As I went through high school, my family began attending a different church and I became active in the youth group and actually was able to understand sermons better, my idea of grace was shifted when people started talking about this Jesus guy who died on the cross for the sins of all people—this was a gift that humanity is undeserving and pays/gives nothing to receive. Wow—now what in the world does that mean?
In high school, I began to hear friends talk about having to accept Jesus as a personal Lord and Savior before I can have Jesus in my life—later on this was clarified to me that there is nothing I can decide or do to have Jesus in my life, grace is a gift offered to all humanity and Jesus, the creator of our being has died on the cross for the sins of all humanity whether we like it and choose for it to happen or not.
Two years ago I was in a coffee shop back in Sioux Falls waiting in line to order my refreshing vanilla latte. As the woman in front of me went to pay, she caught a glimpse of me and said I am going to buy your drink too, what would you like. As I was caught speechless, she continued to say, you know, you look real familiar…after a few moments we discovered she was the person who had cleaned my teeth once a year since I was five.—I could not understand why this lady, who I only see once a year to get my teeth cleaned wanted to buy me a cup of coffee… I felt undeserving of her generosity.
Undeserving? God’s gift of grace and forgiveness is an expression of his love for humanity. We don’t understand it and we don’t deserve it, but he gives it anyway. Even if you feel like your faith isn’t big enough, it is, we can learn from Jesus about faith as a mustard seed, and how small is a mustard seed? Exactly, really small, if you have even a little faith, you can have great influence in this world and Jesus gives you the strength you need to ‘move mountains.’ You cannot measure a persons faith and you don't have to have 'big faith.' Just remember faith as small as a mustard seed is having faith and your faith is immeasurable and uncompareable to anyone in this world. The most faithful of all is Jesus Christ who offers grace, forgiveness and love to all people.
Grace is a gift of forgiveness and life. We are not perfect but God loves us for who we are no matter what—grace offers us complete forgiveness from all sins.
We don’t have to do anything to receive God’s grace, but we are called to celebrate and respond to God’s grace and share this grace with the world and everyone that we meet. How do you respond to God’s grace? Who do you share God’s grace with in your every day life?
I greatly appreciate the message translation of Ephesians 2:1-10, but I also encourage you to look it up in your Bible and reflect on that text this week. :
1-6It wasn't so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn't know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It's a wonder God didn't lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.
7-10Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
As I went through high school, my family began attending a different church and I became active in the youth group and actually was able to understand sermons better, my idea of grace was shifted when people started talking about this Jesus guy who died on the cross for the sins of all people—this was a gift that humanity is undeserving and pays/gives nothing to receive. Wow—now what in the world does that mean?
In high school, I began to hear friends talk about having to accept Jesus as a personal Lord and Savior before I can have Jesus in my life—later on this was clarified to me that there is nothing I can decide or do to have Jesus in my life, grace is a gift offered to all humanity and Jesus, the creator of our being has died on the cross for the sins of all humanity whether we like it and choose for it to happen or not.
Two years ago I was in a coffee shop back in Sioux Falls waiting in line to order my refreshing vanilla latte. As the woman in front of me went to pay, she caught a glimpse of me and said I am going to buy your drink too, what would you like. As I was caught speechless, she continued to say, you know, you look real familiar…after a few moments we discovered she was the person who had cleaned my teeth once a year since I was five.—I could not understand why this lady, who I only see once a year to get my teeth cleaned wanted to buy me a cup of coffee… I felt undeserving of her generosity.
Undeserving? God’s gift of grace and forgiveness is an expression of his love for humanity. We don’t understand it and we don’t deserve it, but he gives it anyway. Even if you feel like your faith isn’t big enough, it is, we can learn from Jesus about faith as a mustard seed, and how small is a mustard seed? Exactly, really small, if you have even a little faith, you can have great influence in this world and Jesus gives you the strength you need to ‘move mountains.’ You cannot measure a persons faith and you don't have to have 'big faith.' Just remember faith as small as a mustard seed is having faith and your faith is immeasurable and uncompareable to anyone in this world. The most faithful of all is Jesus Christ who offers grace, forgiveness and love to all people.
Grace is a gift of forgiveness and life. We are not perfect but God loves us for who we are no matter what—grace offers us complete forgiveness from all sins.
We don’t have to do anything to receive God’s grace, but we are called to celebrate and respond to God’s grace and share this grace with the world and everyone that we meet. How do you respond to God’s grace? Who do you share God’s grace with in your every day life?
I greatly appreciate the message translation of Ephesians 2:1-10, but I also encourage you to look it up in your Bible and reflect on that text this week. :
1-6It wasn't so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn't know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It's a wonder God didn't lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.
7-10Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Servanthood: Not Something you Just Do, but a Way of Life
Most people have played Monopoly before or at least have heard of the game. This is often a favorite board game and it is all about you, what you get, acquire, you want to have the most money, the most properties and the most properties with hotels on them—it’s often about taking anything that you can get so you have the most. The game is really about you and what you get…
VIDEO: “It’s all about Me” Click here to watch the video
We live in a self-centered, me-first world (generally speaking). This seems to be naturally and often goes unchecked in our lives. The opposite of the selfishness and self-centeredness is beoing others centered and being aware of the needs people have around us. Being others-centered is responding to the needs of people in our midst, both friend and stranger.
Jesus calls us to have Christ-like compassion—this is something that is a challenge but we all need to think about.
Jesus desires for us to see him when we see someone who is sick, hurting or lost. Living the gospel, living Matthew 25 is seeing Christ in our neighbors and REALIZING the needs and RESPONDING to the needs of others.
What if ALL CHRISTIANS lived a life of servanthood—all the time? What if all Christians lived Romans 12:1—“in view of God’s mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship…” Serving others is your spiritual act of worship to God.
SCRIPTURE FOCUS: Matthew 25:31-46—The Parable of the Judgment
This is a parable that Jesus uses to transform the time of waiting for the Son of Man to come—he encourages people to change from useless idleness to emphasizing the importance of others-centered and to care for neighbors in need.
In this parable the community's meantime of waiting for the Son of Man is changed from a useless passage of time to a redefinition of community in the care of the neighbor, and from worry about the "when" of the coming of the Son of Man to the realization that the "when" has already taken place in the face of the need, lost and lonely. Jesus was urging his people to respond to God’s love and impact the lives of others by how they live. Our conversation tonight is not about earning God’s love by how we live, but our conversation is about responding to God’s love by caring for all the people around us. For it is by grace we are saved, not by our works (Ephesians 2:8-10)—there is nothing you can do to earn God’s grace and love.
THINKING ABOUT SERVANT HOOD AS YOUR WAY OF LIFE
• Who do you have the most compassion for? People who are homeless? Sick or disabled? Starving? Elderly? Bullied? Lonely? Prisoners? Refugees?
• How does the world view servanthood or serving? How about your peers?
• What’s easier: serving God or serving others? Why?
• Why is serving others sometimes so difficult?
• Describe someone you know whose life reflects servanthood.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Firsts & Lasts, What Happened to the In Betweens?
(a picture of my niece Lauren Kate on her first birthday, eating her first birthday cake)
FOCUS TEXT: ROMANS 12:1-2, 6-8 (THE MESSAGE VERSION)
1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. 6-8If you preach, just preach God's Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don't take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don't get bossy; if you're put in charge, don't manipulate; if you're called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don't let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.
Lauren, who is my first niece, and the first grandchild in the family was born just over a year ago—so this past year has been following her life and the ‘first’ things that have happened. I was able to see her on her first day in the world, attend her first birthday, follow her blog and have been able to see her first steps, hear her first words, and hear stories about other ‘firsts’ in her life, and will continue to as she seems to have a ‘first’ something or another every week!
We celebrate and often talk about all the ‘firsts’ in our lives. First smile, first steps, first time on potty, first birthday, first words, first day at school, first boyfriend, first kiss, first job, first car, first credit card, first child, first, first, first. Recently there have been deaths of many celebrities and well known people like Michael Jackson, and Patrick Swayze—their accomplishments and contributions in this world have been recently celebrated. We often celebrate the first and the lasts of our lives. What about the in between?
You often hear the saying, it doesn't matter how you get to your destination as long as you get there. Can I suggest to you differently? Maybe it does matter whether take the scenic road, the intrastate, or the toll road. I think it didn't make a difference in my grandparents' day but I think it does now for us because we're so obsessed in getting places first and we often have too much to do in one day to take the scenic route. Not only are we obsessed about getting to our destinations first but we want to be there in the fastest time possible otherwise we see it as ‘wasting time.’
The bible is full of stories of men and women who have taken the scenic routes in their lives. Most often, we think about the pain and extra time that comes with a detour. We don't think of how beautiful it can be. Getting to our destination is not God's top priority. The process of getting us there is equally if not more important than our destination. That's because we embark on the journey with God and not alone, and when we finally get to our destination we will be the person God has intended us to be.
Have you ever made a pottery project? You begin with a lump of clay that first has to be pounded and slapped around before it can be thrown onto the wheel. When it gets on the wheel, it is molded. After that it's left to dry and then fired in a kiln. When the first round of firing is done, colors can be painted onto it. After which it is put back into the kiln for another two times before we see the final product. Often times we admire these works of ceramics but we have no idea what great pains and many hours and days it took an artist to create a beautiful work of ceramic with its intense colors. God is like an artist that creates us for a purpose.
Moses and Nehemiah are people in the Bible who had their days in the scenic routes of their lives. But I like Nehemiah's attitude. Nehemiah's my man these days. He has an attitude worth imitating. From Nehemiah 2:2, we read that the King could tell that Nehemiah was visibly sad. It was SO obvious that he asked Nehemiah what he wanted. I don't think the King would have bothered if Nehemiah had been throwing temper tantrums or been a complainer during his years of service. He was the best cup bearer he could be. If there was such a thing in Nehemiah's time as best service award, he would have gotten it.
We're all currently in our in between years now. Can I suggest to you to live out your life like God depends on it? When we live our lives with such an attitude - life's the best, our scenic routes suddenly take a different turn. We stop to smell the roses, enjoy a nap under the oak tree and sink our feet into the first spring grass. We journey with the Lord who is our guide and companion.
You know what, I'm so enjoying my scenic drive these days that I'm taking as many "snap shots" of my drive. Do that and you'll be amazed at the roads Christ is taking you on. Continue celebrating life, especially the ‘in-between moments,’ on your journey.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
'Jesus Hospitality' in Our World Today
After reading Luke 24:13-35, often known as the ‘Walk to Emmaus’ this story is about the disciples on a journey and on this journey Jesus was with them, but they didn’t necessarily recognize Jesus right away. (That is a super brief summary.) I was recently asked the question, ‘when has someone been Jesus to you?’ Usually the question is asked, when have you had an opportunity to ‘be Jesus to someone?’ Caught off guard I was led into a memory of challenge, struggle, transformation, and a time when people offered me the hospitality and love of Jesus which is what I needed in that moment of my life. I have always thought about this experience in life as one that was transforming, but I never realized how I experience what I like to call, ‘Jesus hospitality.’ Let me take you to that experience and share about the people who were Jesus to me…
After graduating from Augustana College, I was living my dream in the Summer of 2005 serving as a backpack guide at Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp in the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range. In the middle of the summer I drove to the Denver International Airport to catch a flight to Sioux Falls for my sister Jana and her (now) husband Brian’s wedding. What a joyous experience to be with family and celebrate the love and friendship of two of my great friends. The ceremony was lovely, the reception and dance were loads of fun. Towards the end of the evening my friend Sven and I were Jitter bug dancing with many quick twists and turns. We were dancing in the grass because the dance floor was full and this was a horrible idea. The next thing I know I was unable to bear weight on my ankle and was in excruciating pain. My Mom, a nurse, gave me some IB profen and sent me to bed saying we’ll see how it feels in the morning.
I woke up in pain Saturday morning and unable to bear weight, so we made a trip to the ER. The wonderful doctor looked at the exterior of the injury and made the comment “I don’t think it is broken but we better do an X-ray to double check.” I had total hope, thinking I could be back on trail guiding in just a couple weeks. Minutes later the doctor returned with bad news; my ankle was broken. The tears began to flow and would not stop; here I was living the summer of my dreams; and now those dreams were crushed; I would be unable to backpack and I had no idea how I was going to call and let the camp director know that I would not be able to go out on trail to guide a group that next week. Well, I received my first pair of crutches in my life and off to the farm we went. I was suppose to be flying back to Denver the next day (which I did do, 48 hours after breaking my ankle) and I knew I needed to make the call to camp; fearful that I would not be spending the rest of my summer in the beautiful Colorado Mountains because I was unable to walk without crutches for 6-8 weeks.
Still with tears I called Rainbow Trail to let them know that I broke my ankle and Dave told me; we still have a place for you here, come on back. From this moment on, I experienced many people who were Jesus to me through my struggles. I never experience such incredible hospitality and welcome and have never felt so valued in a time where I felt like I was letting people down and letting myself down as my dreams were shattered. People would see the cast and ask, “what happened?” and I would say “I broke my heart, I mean my ankle.”
There was a girl who was a camphand on staff, at that time I knew her name and not much else about her. Andrea met me at the airport to drive me and my car back to camp—she showed me joy and she gave me the hospitality that Jesus showed so many people. If there was a need; Andrea discovered it and was sure that I was okay and had everything I needed. Andrea was Jesus to me; from her smile to her positive attitude and support from the moment we connected at the airport Andrea treated me like her sister and offered anything needed even though she did not know me well. Being best friends is not a pre-requisite to having Jesus hospitality.
Upon arriving to camp; there was no shame or guilt but a welcome home experience; I felt like the prodigal son. I was embraced with joy and laughter; amongst the many tears that remained in my struggle of shatter dreams. I was more worried about the fact that my dreams were shatter than the fact that I broke my ankle. I felt broken and useless because I was immobile. My dreams were crushed but beyond all things the love I experienced was not. Little did I know how I would reflect and realize how Dave as a leader of this camp was able to create a spirit of grace in this moment of my life and how he was able to ‘be Jesus ‘ to me and exemplify this to all others on the staff. I have never experienced the love of Jesus like I did coming home to a community that offered unconditional love and support no matter what and this is Jesus hospitality.
Jaime and Marnie were two adults up with campers that week onsite and I did not really know them but had heard many stories as they use to work out at camp. They approached me as I was lying on the couch on Columbine and said, “we are taking you to Canon City for lunch.” I responded not knowing if I would be able to do that and they told me they would be sure to arrange so it could happen and off we went to have greasy burgers at the Owl Cafe. All week they were sure to check in with me to see how I was doing and if I needed anything; often they would offer mere conversation, stories, and laughter. They were Jesus to me.
I spent many days doing ‘office work’ for the backpack program and I spent time on the front porch during family camp. The front porch at Rainbow Trail overlooks the Wet Mountain Valley and the back of Pikes Peak; amazing views. I often felt lonely because I was ‘not like everyone else’ and living my role that I came to Rainbow Trail to do all summer. Little did I know how much God was going to teach me and use me during these weeks of ‘brokenness.’ Beyond the view on the front porch I learned to just be; to reflect on God’s presence and to listen to stories and I learned the true art of conversation that took people I knew of or heard of and turned them into friends who still impact my life today. I learned to be in the moments I was blessed with and to make the most of them; from this comes my passion to hear people’s stories. The people who were with me; who took time to be; to play guitar; to share conversation; to sit with me; these people were Jesus to me.
Do you see the trend in all this? There are little things in life that can impact those around you in enormous ways. Up until recently, I have never thought about times when people have been Jesus to me, but when I was asked the question; I then realized how powerful it is to experience Jesus hospitality and love. When has someone been Jesus to you? In the journey to Emmaus in Luke 24 there was conversation and words from Jesus; but ultimately the people did not believe until they saw the actions of Jesus. How are you the actions of Jesus to those you encounter?
Being the actions of Jesus or offering Jesus hospitality is not providing when someone asks for something. Being the Jesus hospitality is intentionally offering the unconditional love and support to those around you all the time. Do you see the need? Do you fulfill the need? Do you fill this world with the unconditional love and support like Jesus did? This love and support is not about what you will get back and it is not about making yourself feel good. Humanity as a whole is on a journey together; we hear the word of God and all about the love of Jesus; but until we put this into action and share the Jesus hospitality this world will not be changed. The little things you can do each day are the Jesus hospitality moments that make a world of difference that will make this world different. From this moment discover how you can be the Jesus hospitality but don’t overlook the people who offer you Jesus hospitality because both are incredible times of transformation.
After graduating from Augustana College, I was living my dream in the Summer of 2005 serving as a backpack guide at Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp in the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range. In the middle of the summer I drove to the Denver International Airport to catch a flight to Sioux Falls for my sister Jana and her (now) husband Brian’s wedding. What a joyous experience to be with family and celebrate the love and friendship of two of my great friends. The ceremony was lovely, the reception and dance were loads of fun. Towards the end of the evening my friend Sven and I were Jitter bug dancing with many quick twists and turns. We were dancing in the grass because the dance floor was full and this was a horrible idea. The next thing I know I was unable to bear weight on my ankle and was in excruciating pain. My Mom, a nurse, gave me some IB profen and sent me to bed saying we’ll see how it feels in the morning.
I woke up in pain Saturday morning and unable to bear weight, so we made a trip to the ER. The wonderful doctor looked at the exterior of the injury and made the comment “I don’t think it is broken but we better do an X-ray to double check.” I had total hope, thinking I could be back on trail guiding in just a couple weeks. Minutes later the doctor returned with bad news; my ankle was broken. The tears began to flow and would not stop; here I was living the summer of my dreams; and now those dreams were crushed; I would be unable to backpack and I had no idea how I was going to call and let the camp director know that I would not be able to go out on trail to guide a group that next week. Well, I received my first pair of crutches in my life and off to the farm we went. I was suppose to be flying back to Denver the next day (which I did do, 48 hours after breaking my ankle) and I knew I needed to make the call to camp; fearful that I would not be spending the rest of my summer in the beautiful Colorado Mountains because I was unable to walk without crutches for 6-8 weeks.
Still with tears I called Rainbow Trail to let them know that I broke my ankle and Dave told me; we still have a place for you here, come on back. From this moment on, I experienced many people who were Jesus to me through my struggles. I never experience such incredible hospitality and welcome and have never felt so valued in a time where I felt like I was letting people down and letting myself down as my dreams were shattered. People would see the cast and ask, “what happened?” and I would say “I broke my heart, I mean my ankle.”
There was a girl who was a camphand on staff, at that time I knew her name and not much else about her. Andrea met me at the airport to drive me and my car back to camp—she showed me joy and she gave me the hospitality that Jesus showed so many people. If there was a need; Andrea discovered it and was sure that I was okay and had everything I needed. Andrea was Jesus to me; from her smile to her positive attitude and support from the moment we connected at the airport Andrea treated me like her sister and offered anything needed even though she did not know me well. Being best friends is not a pre-requisite to having Jesus hospitality.
Upon arriving to camp; there was no shame or guilt but a welcome home experience; I felt like the prodigal son. I was embraced with joy and laughter; amongst the many tears that remained in my struggle of shatter dreams. I was more worried about the fact that my dreams were shatter than the fact that I broke my ankle. I felt broken and useless because I was immobile. My dreams were crushed but beyond all things the love I experienced was not. Little did I know how I would reflect and realize how Dave as a leader of this camp was able to create a spirit of grace in this moment of my life and how he was able to ‘be Jesus ‘ to me and exemplify this to all others on the staff. I have never experienced the love of Jesus like I did coming home to a community that offered unconditional love and support no matter what and this is Jesus hospitality.
Jaime and Marnie were two adults up with campers that week onsite and I did not really know them but had heard many stories as they use to work out at camp. They approached me as I was lying on the couch on Columbine and said, “we are taking you to Canon City for lunch.” I responded not knowing if I would be able to do that and they told me they would be sure to arrange so it could happen and off we went to have greasy burgers at the Owl Cafe. All week they were sure to check in with me to see how I was doing and if I needed anything; often they would offer mere conversation, stories, and laughter. They were Jesus to me.
I spent many days doing ‘office work’ for the backpack program and I spent time on the front porch during family camp. The front porch at Rainbow Trail overlooks the Wet Mountain Valley and the back of Pikes Peak; amazing views. I often felt lonely because I was ‘not like everyone else’ and living my role that I came to Rainbow Trail to do all summer. Little did I know how much God was going to teach me and use me during these weeks of ‘brokenness.’ Beyond the view on the front porch I learned to just be; to reflect on God’s presence and to listen to stories and I learned the true art of conversation that took people I knew of or heard of and turned them into friends who still impact my life today. I learned to be in the moments I was blessed with and to make the most of them; from this comes my passion to hear people’s stories. The people who were with me; who took time to be; to play guitar; to share conversation; to sit with me; these people were Jesus to me.
Do you see the trend in all this? There are little things in life that can impact those around you in enormous ways. Up until recently, I have never thought about times when people have been Jesus to me, but when I was asked the question; I then realized how powerful it is to experience Jesus hospitality and love. When has someone been Jesus to you? In the journey to Emmaus in Luke 24 there was conversation and words from Jesus; but ultimately the people did not believe until they saw the actions of Jesus. How are you the actions of Jesus to those you encounter?
Being the actions of Jesus or offering Jesus hospitality is not providing when someone asks for something. Being the Jesus hospitality is intentionally offering the unconditional love and support to those around you all the time. Do you see the need? Do you fulfill the need? Do you fill this world with the unconditional love and support like Jesus did? This love and support is not about what you will get back and it is not about making yourself feel good. Humanity as a whole is on a journey together; we hear the word of God and all about the love of Jesus; but until we put this into action and share the Jesus hospitality this world will not be changed. The little things you can do each day are the Jesus hospitality moments that make a world of difference that will make this world different. From this moment discover how you can be the Jesus hospitality but don’t overlook the people who offer you Jesus hospitality because both are incredible times of transformation.
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