click on MOLDOVA (again)
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Click on KINGDOM TALKIN' BOUT MY GENERATION One of the most appealing things about the World Race is having the opportunity to experience diversity and unity simultaneously. We get the chance to live in such a way that not very many people will ever experience. For example, over the course of two days I set foot in Ireland, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova. I think that’s pretty awesome and I don’t take it for granted. By the end of the race I will have set foot in over 15 different nations. Sometimes it looks like an airport layover, a train ride through the countryside, sweating with a Dominican as you dig ditches, or eating dinner with a single mom of two in Cornesti, Moldova. Every place offers a different and new experience, whether it is what we eat, the language, transportation, religion, community living, etc. But one thing remains the same, God’s love for His people and my commitment to be the aroma of Christ to those people. Here’s my point…The Lord is increasing my territory and with the increase comes greater responsibility and with the responsibility comes greater resistance. Satan doesn’t like what I’m doing. He doesn’t like what my squad is doing. He has been pretty creative in his scheming. One of the ways the enemy attacks is by outside circumstances. This can be anything from disrupting travel, causing confusion in communication, or creating an oppressive atmosphere. But what if those things don’t work? What if he is unsuccessful in throwing us off course by outside circumstances? What else will the enemy do? Simple. He starts attacking from within. He will take a squad and plant seeds of dissension, gossip, pride, and whatever else he can plant in order to cause division. Because he knows that a house divided against itself will not stand. It is in these moments that God demonstrates His awesomeness. You see, being the omniscient God that He is, He knows what’s going to happen, therefore, He already has a battle plan in place. I have watched Him initiate His plan within my squad and it’s super cool. He strategically places individuals to do battle. What we see is the Lord rising up worshippers to sing songs of deliverance over the squad. We hear prophets proclaiming revealed truth from the heavenly realms in order to maintain 20/20 vision. We have pastors and teachers who come alongside squad members to help them apply the Word of God to their life. There are also the encouragers, intercessors, servants, evangelists, etc. The Lord uses the body to minister to the body. I realized that what my squad is facing is also occurring within my generation. If satan can divide believers within an entire generation and thus, divide one generation from another, then he can slow down forward momentum. I think that slowing down momentum is more dangerous than stopping it completely. In the process of slowing down, complacency takes root because although it “feels” like you are moving forward, in reality, what you are doing is hovering. It’s a lot like Hurricane Katrina. It wasn’t the powerful wind and rain that brought the most destruction, it was the fact that it moved so slowly and hovered over the land. This is what I see happening in my generation. The enemy attacks with a spirit of division, slowing momentum, thus producing complacency and an acceptance to hover. There are pockets of stagnation. What we need is a fresh wind to blow. When this occurs we will see new revelation proclaimed and an army within an army start to rise up. Remember, our God is awesome. He already has a battle plan drawn. He wrote one for my generation before the dawn of creation and it’s GOOD. “I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.” Isaiah 62:6-7 More to come… |
FAMILIA (Part II)
8-23-10
So now that we have laid the foundation for the family structure, lets build upon it and discuss what it looks and smells like. When a family is functioning at its fullest capacity it’s like a well-oiled machine. It looks good, is efficient, smells sweet, and even leaves a good taste in your mouth. Don’t you wish family always functioned this way? I know I do. Unfortunately, on this side of heaven we experience breakdowns, misalignment, empty tanks, short fuses, and wrong turns. Before you know it, what was meant to function flawlessly begins to disintegrate. We discover that maintenance is required on a daily basis in order to keep it running.
FAMILIA (Part I)
8-23-10
SOLITUDE
8/11/10
Read more
8-23-10
So now that we have laid the foundation for the family structure, lets build upon it and discuss what it looks and smells like. When a family is functioning at its fullest capacity it’s like a well-oiled machine. It looks good, is efficient, smells sweet, and even leaves a good taste in your mouth. Don’t you wish family always functioned this way? I know I do. Unfortunately, on this side of heaven we experience breakdowns, misalignment, empty tanks, short fuses, and wrong turns. Before you know it, what was meant to function flawlessly begins to disintegrate. We discover that maintenance is required on a daily basis in order to keep it running.
One of the biggest challenges World Racers face is living in community. Some months consist of you and six or seven other racers doing life together. Other months you find yourself living in a house with twenty-seven other people (which is a blessing considering last month there were almost 50 people living in the same house). The word “family” takes on a whole new meaning. So, not only am I finding myself discovering my family role on my team but now, also, in the midst of 27 other individuals as well.
Without going into great detail of the challenges and rewards of community living, I want to share what God has revealed to me this month about who I am and how to keep my house in order. There is this fine line between what God is doing in me as an individual and as a team member. Sometimes the two can play tug-of-war. I discovered (through the love and wisdom of my friends) that it all boils down to perspective. Where is my focus? Is it on myself? Is it on my teammates? OR, are my eyes fixed on the High King of Heaven who knows all. I recognized that my gaze was starting to descend from of the heavenly realms and onto flesh and blood. Praise God that my eyes didn’t rest there for very long and I quickly returned back to my Heavenly Father. The awesome TRUTH that I am walking in is the fact that I don’t have to battle this anymore. Praise God! I will keep my house in order by keeping my eyes fixed on my Creator. I’m pretty much gonna stalk God. I’m such a creeper.
FAMILIA (Part I)
8-23-10
There is no escaping family. What one family member does, directly affects the other members. I think we don’t always recognize this. Instead we say, “Oh that’s her problem not mine.” Or, “If that’s how he’s going to act then let him. Whatever.” The only problem is that every family has an invisible thread - so transparent that it’s easily overlooked, or better yet ignored...yet it runs through every heart binding them together. Because of this bond we find ourselves rejoicing when another family member rejoices, or sometimes feel hurt, abandoned, confused, or frustrated by another family member’s words and actions. Before I move any further I want to define “family.” I want us to move beyond the traditional definition so we can start recognizing a broader perspective. A perspective that I believe God designed from the beginning.
According to the Oxford American Dictionary:
FAMILY:
1. A group consisting of parents and children living together in a household
2. A group of people related to one another by blood or marriage
3. A group of people united in criminal activity (my favorite)
According to the Bible:
FAMILY:
1. Ephesians 2:19- "You are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household
2. Galatians 6:10- "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers
3. Romans 12:4-5- "Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.When we combine the traditional definition of family with God’s definition, we discover a much deeper and broader interpretation. Of course, if you take Jesus out of the picture we are only left with the traditional definition. I LOVE God’s definition a lot better.
SOLITUDE
8/11/10
One of my favorite authors is Henri Nouwen. I love his perspective on solitude. He helped me understand the importance of solitude and the difference between being alone and being lonely. Last year I spent a couple of months in solitude. I still went to work, hung out with friends, went on facebook (lol), but there was this place within my soul and spirit that was set apart. It was a space meant only for me and my Father. He would speak tenderly to me there. We would spend hours together sharing secrets. It was a really sweet time with the Lord and I soon realized that I had learned a new discipline. I found myself wondering why it had taken me so long to discover this reality. Then I realized I had allowed the world to dictate how I spent my time. Its expectations of me kept me from seeking solitude for myself. Most of the time its intentions were good and what it wanted me to do was important, but was my heart prepared?
Ministry will suck me dry if I allow it. I can become very task oriented, focusing more on efficiency and end results rather than freedom of the Holy Spirit and the process. Solitude is what keeps me grounded. Solitude is what increases my availability. Instead of burning out, solitude fuels my fire. When I start battling fatigue I know it's because I need solitude. What are the symptoms of solitude-deficiency? Frustration. Escapism. Irritation. Confusion. Resentment. It gets pretty ugly really fast. I had to cling to my Father a lot the other day because I felt these symptoms creeping up in a BIG way. I've been reading through Colossians and when I came across this verse it struck my heart. I've been meditating on it for the past few days. "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." Col 3:6 And then this morning our team was studying Mark and I read: "Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other." Mark 9:49-50
Ministry will suck me dry if I allow it. I can become very task oriented, focusing more on efficiency and end results rather than freedom of the Holy Spirit and the process. Solitude is what keeps me grounded. Solitude is what increases my availability. Instead of burning out, solitude fuels my fire. When I start battling fatigue I know it's because I need solitude. What are the symptoms of solitude-deficiency? Frustration. Escapism. Irritation. Confusion. Resentment. It gets pretty ugly really fast. I had to cling to my Father a lot the other day because I felt these symptoms creeping up in a BIG way. I've been reading through Colossians and when I came across this verse it struck my heart. I've been meditating on it for the past few days. "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." Col 3:6 And then this morning our team was studying Mark and I read: "Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other." Mark 9:49-50
I recalled the salt covenant I made with my team and squad during launch. It reminded me why I'm doing what I'm doing and gave me the strength to continue. I'm not gonna lie, I was wanting to throw in the towel. I was feeling pretty frustrated, discouraged and fatigued. I wanted to check out. So I dug a little deeper. Pressed a little harder. Clung a little tighter to the train of His robe. And as always, He was faithful to fill me up. Give strength to my bones. Soften my heart. Prepare me for one more day of battle. My heart's desire is to have some saltiness linger on the lips of those I speak to. I want to leave them better than what they were before. Whether or not they receive the "seasoning" is not my concern. All I have to focus on is being obedient. I can truly say that this month is really teaching me to be intentional with my words and how I spend my time.
8-3-10
Let me share a little bit about World Race travel days because there really isn’t anything else like it. They typically involve vague time frames, unexpected stops or detours, language barriers and a lot of flexibility (or what we call “fluidity”). Our travel day from Port-Au-Prince, Haiti to San Juan, Dominican Republic definitely did not disappoint. Stacey (my fellow logistics partner in crime) and I were responsible for getting 27 people to San Juan. We left the bus station at 8:30am on a really nice air-conditioned bus, which everyone was stoked about. During our time at the border (which isn’t fun at all) I met Kelty, a really kind Dominican that helped translate for me so I knew what was going on. So, after two border stops we entered the DR; which greets you with long, winding, steep hill climbs. Our bus sounded like it was going to explode. We started climbing up our third hill and about ¾ of the way up the bus came to a sudden stop. We were going nowhere fast. Long story short, they had everyone get out of the bus and walk to the top of the hill while the bus backed down and tried again. Meanwhile, a bus from another company pulled over to help. We were informed that our bus was too heavy and some people had to go on the other bus. I let our driver know that my group could not split up, so he had all of us unload our gear and reload it onto the new bus.
So we get settled in and continue our journey. I’m exhausted because of lack of sleep. The night before I slept outside with a super loud nightclub next store blaring its music. (Side note: Haitians and Dominicans have only two music volumes: mute or extremely loud). So I finally get a chance to get some sleep and I’m really excited about it. I finally doze off when someone on my squad wakes me up informing me that the bus is not taking us to our original destination. Of course not. That would be too easy. So I head to the front of the bus (Did I mention my seat was next to the bathroom in the back of the bus? Awesome. I know. lol!) My friend Kelty was sitting up front (thank you Lord) and I explained to her what was going on. She was able to translate for me as I pled my case to the bus driver. Meanwhile, I have one phone with only a few minutes on it, just enough to get in touch with my contact who is waiting for us at the bus station in Santo Domingo, where we will catch another bus to San Juan. I explain what’s going on and she was really great about walking me through what to do and say with our bus driver. Oh and did I mention that I soon realized that we never had a chance in Hades to make it in time to make our connecting bus? Even if we didn’t switch buses we would have never made it in time. Awesome.
So we ended up at a different bus station. Both my contact and I were in the process of figuring out alternative transportation to San Juan. I was wheeling and dealing with the bus driver as he made some phone calls, while she was searching for another bus. What ended up happening is that she found two smaller buses to take us to San Juan at twice the price. Our original bus line met us at the different bus station and took us back to where we were suppose to end up in Santo Domingo. We unloaded our gear and loaded it back onto the two smaller buses. We finally arrived in San Juan around 10:30 that night and I could hardly see straight, I was so exhausted. If it sounds like I’m complaining, I’m not. Was it stressful? Yes. Was I exhausted? Yes. Did I know what I was doing? No. But I wouldn’t change a thing because I learned a lot through the experience. My attitude was challenged, my faith was increased, and I walk in a greater awareness of God’s protection and faithfulness. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
# of buses it takes World Racers to get from Haiti to the DR: 5
# of times loading/unloading gear: 5
Total amount of travel time: 14 hours
Total distance traveled: 343 miles
# of casualties: 1 bird that flew into the windshield while traveling to San Juan
7-25-10What inspires change? A positive word? An inner prompting? Inspired speech? Comparison? Competition? All of the above? As I sit and write this blog, the staff at Canaan are in the process of redecorating the dining hall and reinventing the way the children are served meals. They are choosing to leave behind the “cafeteria” feel and are providing a family style setting with place mats, table settings, potted plants, and flowers. This may not seem like a big deal to us, but for the children who call Canaan home, providing a warm environment with intentional place settings and an adult to help serve them a meal reinforces their value.
In a country like Haiti where poverty and disease is all around, the people have become a product of their environment. Quite honestly, how could they not? As I drive down the streets I see a lot of blank faces and I try to imagine what it would be like to wake up here day after day after day. I cry out to God asking, “What hope do they have, Lord?” And then a few nights ago while praying for the children at Canaan, the Lord gave me a vision. I saw Canaan as a dry and barren land, then the Lord spoke and said, “This land will no longer be under developed, I am cultivating it and it will bear fruit. The community will come and benefit from its fruitfulness and seeds will be planted throughout all the land.”
Later that evening we held a worship service for the older girls at the orphanage. In my first blog about Canaan I wrote about a disconnect between the hearts and minds of the children in regards to their relationship with the Lord. As my team began praying into this, one of them felt led to have a worship service for the girls. So we did. And God met us there. I witnessed girls cry out to their Father in Heaven, some of them lay on the floor weeping, others found victory and everyone was strengthened and encouraged, including my team. By the end of the evening the girls were leading their own worship songs a cappella and I’m pretty sure a choir of angels joined in the singing. There is tenderness in their hearts and softness in their eyes. They have a calling. A destiny. A purpose. They have HOPE. Of course, transformation is a process and this is just the beginning. But I know God is starting the cultivating process. The harvest is plenty and the workers are few, but now the Lord can add a few more workers to His roster. I believe it’s only a matter of time before the children of Canaan become fruit bearers, God’s HOPE for Haiti.
7-21-10
Today was a great day. I spent the entire day working on clearing a path for T-Yoldy (she is the little girl who uses a walker to get around). As I started digging I soon realized it was becoming a multi-process project. Digging in rocky dirt provides it’s own challenges (and energy) ,but the area where I was working had no drainage. Therefore, anytime it rains the water pools in certain areas turning the dirt black and creating a swine-like smell. So, I ended up digging up all the black dirt to get rid of it and then the rest of the good dirt I sifted to get rid of the big rocks. I also dug a drainage ditch to help move the water away from the low-lying areas and into a larger space away from the path. Since it rains here everyday it won’t be difficult to test whether or not it will work.
I worked alone from morning until lunchtime, which gave me some time to pray, think and listen to my iPod. Then after lunch a ton of the younger kids came over and were really interested in what I was doing. They brought some more shovels and started digging and sifting with me. It was so great! We had so much fun and it was such a joy to watch kids do what they do best…play in the dirt! T-Yoldy eventually came over and helped out too, which was so awesome! She helped me pack down the sifted dirt back onto the path. I could tell she was really excited about what was happening. It will be interesting to see if the children return to the project tomorrow and whether or not it will cause the children to become more aware of people with disabilities.
7-20-10
Here is a glimpse of our daily schedule:
Monday- Thursday:
5:30am- Wake up
5:30 – 7:00am- The children do chores. I spend this time alone with the Lord.
7:00am-7:45am- Breakfast
8:00am – 8:45- The children have devotions. If the Internet is working, I use this time to catch up on emails, post photos, or write a blog.
9:00am – 12:00pm- The older children are in school and the younger children play. Some people on my team play games with the kids, some tutor in the school, and I work in the library.
12:00pm-12:45pm- Lunch
1:00pm – 4:30pm- The children have free time. I will work in the library, hang out with the kids, and /or give Mackenson a guitar lesson.
2:00pm – 4:00pm- Optional study hall
5:00pm – 6:00pm- Dinner
6:00pm – 7:00pm- The children have evening devotionals. During this time my team has feedback time. This is when we meet to talk about the day, discuss anything that may be on our hearts regarding each other, and pray. Feedback plays a vital role in maintaining team health.
7:00pm – 10:00pm- More free time, homework, reading, and getting the kids ready for bed.
Friday’s Schedule:
The children still do their chores in the morning and have devotionals. But they don’t have school. Friday’s are the designated “outing day” for the children who have been in school. We will take them to the beach, go for a hike, or hang out in Saint Marc.
Saturday’s Schedule:
The children get to sleep in as long as they want. It’s also the day the children do major cleaning in the dorms. My team takes the entire day off. Last Saturday we went to the beach all day and relaxed. We played a fun game of beach volleyball too!
Sunday’s Schedule:
Church is at 9:00am and ends around 10:30…or 11:00….or 11:30 (like this week). It’s a very relaxed day hanging out with the kids, or taking a nap. It’s amazing how much the heat zaps your energy!
7-16-10
Let me state the obvious: It’s hot. I sweat when I sit, stand, sleep and I’m pretty sure I even sweat when I shower. There are flies; in fact, there are so many flies that when you walk across their path they sound like a swarm of bees rising up from the ground. The mosquitoes are microscopic, stealth bombers that show no mercy. Instead of lotion, I lather myself in bug spray. The dogs on the property are like a pack of playful wolves and they love to nip at my skirt (which I’m secretly hoping will get ruined so I won’t have to wear them anymore…haha!). They long for affection, human interaction and a bath (desperately). The pigs on the property usually go unnoticed until the evening rainstorm passes through and causes the stench of wet pig to rise and fill the air. It literally stops you in your tracks. And I don’t even want to talk about the spiders that are the size of the palm of my hand.
Let me state the not-so-obvious: At 5:30am when everyone wakes up, there is a stillness and peace. When I step outside to spend time with the Lord, the air is the coolest it will be all day, there is a gentle breeze and God whispers tenderly to me, calling me His Beloved and speaking life into my day. When the children laugh and smile it fills our hearts with joy. The hearts of the older girls are becoming tender as they gain our trust. The walls they have built in order to protect themselves are slowly being broken down. There is a little girl named Yoldy who has braces on both legs and uses a walker to get around. There is nothing at this place that accommodates a disabled person. The ground is dirt and rocks, there aren’t any ramps and the orphanage is built on a hillside, so there are very few places that are flat. But you will never hear her complain. She smiles incessantly and has the upper body strength of an Olympic swimmer. When the children sing it sounds like a choir of angels.
It has become evident that the children at Canaan have memorized a LOT of Scripture. They have morning and evening devotionals and they know a lot of Western Christian worship songs. However, there is an obvious disconnect between their heart and mind. Their heads are full of knowledge of the Gospel, but many of them have yet to experience a heart transformation. Everyone on my team has recognized this and we are in agreement that the Lord will use us to pour out His Holy Spirit upon these children. We are planning to have a worship and prayer service with the older girls next week. Please keep that in your prayers.
It’s a privilege to be here. Every day has its own set of challenges and rewards, joys and heartache. I live only for today, for I do not know what tomorrow holds. I live with hands opened wide and palms facing up, ready to freely give and receive.
HOW CLOSE IS TOO CLOSE?
If you aren’t familiar with Ray C. Stedman, I highly recommend you introduce yourself to him. I’m currently reading his book, Body Life, which was first published in 1972 and revolutionized the way America does church. I want to discuss the chapter I read today titled, “Keeping the Body Healthy.”
There is an illness plaguing Christians in the Western church. Its symptoms include (but are not limited to): complacency, hypocrisy, prejudice, pride, and selfishness. The bad news is that it has spread like wildfire. The good news is that there is a cure. It’s called koinonia.
Koinonia- Christian fellowship with other Christians
Here’s a more detailed description of what koinonia looks like in action:
“The New Testament lays heavy emphasis upon the need for Christians to know each other, closely and intimately enough to be able to bear one another’s burdens, confess faults one to another, encourage, exhort, and admonish one another; and minister to one another with the Word, song, and prayer.” (Stedman p. 151)
However, the world offers a different prescription. I would suggest it looks something like this:
“The world lays heavy emphasis upon the need for individuals to know themselves better, closely and intimately enough to be able to meet their own needs and keep everyone else at arm’s length, pretend like everything is okay, build one’s self-esteem by any means necessary, stand up for one’s own rights, and judge one another; and spend quality time seeking truth for oneself through deeper introspection and experimentation.”
Can you see the difference? As Christians we are called to live a life of transparency, confessing our deepest hurts, struggles, sins, fears, etc. We are called to bear one another’s burdens, honor each other above ourselves, forgive each other and build each other up. We were built for relationship on the foundation of LOVE. However, the world has tried to distort this way of living. Fellowship either becomes co-dependency or individualism, transparency turns into walled facades pretending everything is okay, forgiveness becomes the right to be right, and encouragement turns into superficial words of flattery.
So I’ve been asking myself lately, “What would it look like if the entire Western Church started practicing koinonia and stopped being plagued by complacency, hypocrisy, prejudice, pride, and selfishness?”
Well, the New Testament Church in Acts gives a glimpse of what koinonia looks like:
“All the believers were ONE IN HEART AND MIND. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With GREAT POWER the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.”
Acts 4:32-35
I want to take note of the part that says, “With GREAT POWER the apostles continued to testify.” Notice what it doesn’t say: “With limited resources due to the sharing of possessions…” or “With frugality and caution…” It was with GREAT POWER that the apostles continued their ministry AFTER becoming “one in heart and mind” and sharing everything they had with one another. Therefore, we can agree that when Christians fellowship deeply and intimately with each other, practicing koinonia, it strengthens the body of Christ, bears witness to the world of God’s power, and brings glory to the Lord God almighty.
I don’t know about you, but I’m hooked on the koinonia drug and expecting the Church to feed my addiction! It’s long overdue.
COMMUNITY: A unified body of individuals; a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society; an interacting population of various kinds of individuals in a common location
Henri Nouwen
“Into community you were called- the call was not meant for you alone. In the community of the called you bear your cross, you struggle, you pray. You are not alone, even in death.”
Diedrich Bonhoeffer
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