"Have you ever had a broken heart?" was your question. And boy is that a tough/great one.
My heart is broken daily. I used to be very callous and self-centered. I didn't care much about the welfare of others. The best way I can put it - I was addicted to myself. I was so focused on myself, it was impossible to look at anything else. You know when you wake up and your face is up against the wall and you think to yourself, "There is little grooves. It's all one color. What the heck is that?" And then you realize you were just looking at a wall. But it was really difficult to identify that the wall was a wall because you were too close.
Well, the day I became a Christian was the day I felt like I was staring at a giant statue of myself but I didn't realize it was a statue of me because I was so close to my cheek - so self-absorbed. Then God swooped me away from it in His mighty hand and I realized it was a dumb idol I had erected of myself. And then I was able to see around the statue. Next, I realized how small the statue was. Then, I realized how giant the universe was. At that moment, I realized that the world didn't revolve around me. I was simply a human, and I was so small. Life was NOT about me. Life was about the One who created me. Life was about Jesus Christ. I was liberated from my self-addiction and given eyes to see the glory and wonder of God all around me. This visual gift has been applied to my life everyday since and there is no way to describe it. The glory of God must be experienced firsthand. It is indescribable. I have been saved from myself through the grace of a God who loves me so vigorously the only response is awe and thankfulness.
So how does this tie in to your question? Everyday, I see dozens of people on campus. Close friends. Strangers. People I see daily. People I see weekly. People I will never see again. People from Saudi Arabia. People from Louisiana. Sad people. People caked with a pound of makeup to try and make up for what they believe they are not. People who stare at the floor when they walk. People who listen to their iPods and miss everything going on around them. People who have already retreated into their minds before they step out their apartment.
People who are blind because they are too close to the cheek of the statue they have erected of themselves. I can see who those people are because I can see me in them. And this breaks my heart daily. I can't stand to see them in the darkness that once captivated me. It viscerally pains me to know they don't know their Creator that so deeply loves them - the Creator who humbled Himself into human form, was scorn, and died to secure a place with Him for eternity.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
A Curious Heart
The following is a list of questions my friend asked me. I thought they were really good questions:
1. - What did you do when you meet God?
2. - How is your life now that you’re a Christian?
3. - How God provide you success?
4. – How can you help people although God?
5. – How God speak with you?
6. – did you change or your feeling change?
7. – Tell me about your storms
8. – How God protect you?
9. – What does the Bible say about the storms?
10. – What does the Bible about the questions?
11. – What is the best way to meet God?
12. – How do you know that God has a better life for you?
My answers:
1. My first encounter with God came with the realization of the fundamental truth that Christ loves me. As humans, we are sinners. Our sin separates us from our Creator and Lover: God. There is nothing we can do to fix this situation. We have offended a holy God. The penalty must be of equal magnitude. (For example: the penalty for offending the president is much more severe than if you offended your younger sister.) In order to fix the situation, we must have a holy act of retribution. This holy act of retribution was fulfilled when Jesus Christ willingly died on the cross and took our sins upon Himself. It was considered holy because Jesus is God. And Jesus did this because He loves us. In order to benefit from this act, we only have to believe in its truth. When one first believes in this truth, it is absolutely mind-blowing. The only sufficient response is gratitude and a laying down of your life for Jesus. I cried harder than I ever have in my life. The only words I could utter: "Thank you Jesus. Thank you God."
2. My life has drastically changed now that I'm a Christian. I never imagined a life lived for someone else. I only understood what it meant to live for myself. Before Christ entered my life, my decisions were based on my current emotional status and desires. Decisions based on a whim can often result in embarrassment, regret, and shame. And as you can imagine, decisions based on one's personal feelings are not stable. I lived in chaos. I lived in confusion. I lived on shifting sand.
Jesus Christ is God. He created love, faithfulness, justice, joy, peace, patience, etc. He is the Rock. He is not a God of confusion or chaos. He is a God of clarity. He is forever consistent. He is forever the same. He knows everything. He is my shepherd. Therefore, since he is all-knowing, I have the best mentor in all existence. He will never stray me wrong. I have someone I can go to who will never wrong me. This provides a peace that transcends all understanding. When I don't understand something, I can rest in the fact that God understands and I am safe and secure in His hands.
My life is no longer full of fear and anxiety. Instead, I can lovingly look my Savior Jesus Christ in the eyes, and all my fear and anxiety melt away. I am free, truly free to live a life in wild abandonment fully knowing that everything will be alright because I am vigorously loved by the God of the Universe. I can do all things through Christ who compels me!
3. Biblical success can be achieved by doing the will of the Father. Hebrews 12:1 says "...let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Read this verse in Spanish if the English was confusing.)
Success for Jesus Christ was doing the work God had given Him to do on earth. The work was living a perfect life culminating in his crucifixion. He was successful because he reached his goal. He lived a perfect life and at the end of his earthly ministry, he was crucified as a sacrifice for all men. This is radically different from today's idea of success. Not many believe being crucified is a success.
However, success is the same for me. God has something for me to do here on earth. Doing that will mean I will become successful. All the while, I will be "looking to Jesus" to guide me. I may even be crucified? But if it is in the name of Jesus Christ, then I will be successfully crucified!
4. I don't understand question 4. Can you rephrase it?
5. Very practically, God speaks to me through the Bible. He speaks to me, as He did to the nation of Israel throughout time, through the multiple Prophets such as Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, etc. He speaks to me through David's Psalms. He speaks to me through the Proverbs of Solomon. He speaks to me through the life of Jesus as recorded through the Gospels. He speaks to me through the disciples such as Peter, John, Matthew, and Paul the apostle.
More abstractly, He speaks to me through prayer. Sometimes I pray so hard I start to cry even if I am very happy. Sometimes I burst into laughter and I can't stop myself. Sometimes I quiver with my head on the floor. I have thoughts that I know are not of myself. It's my voice in my own head but I know they are not my thoughts. If these thoughts are consistent with Scripture (the Bible) then I am certain God has spoken to me. If Scripture doesn't speak of a specific thought I have, then I am more cautious about where the thought came from and pray more about it. I am human. I can still deceive myself sometimes. But I am getting better at distinguishing God's voice from other things. It is a still, small voice so I have to concentrate very hard. We live in a noisy world.
God also communicates with me through the Holy Spirit. In this way, I often experience very intense emotions. For example, this past summer, I wanted to go to Thailand with my friend Addison. But after I resolved to go, I had a deep unsettling feeling. I stopped eating. I couldn't see straight. I became dizzy often. I decided to go to India instead of Thailand. At the moment I decided that, my unsettling feelings ceased and I was overcome with peace. Through these emotions, God was telling me to go to India and not Thailand.
6. Like I wrote in question 2., my life has drastically changed. I'm going to focus on the way I used to think about people and how I think about them now.
Before Christ, my relationship with others was based on myself. I never truly loved anyone. I liked spending time with others because they made ME feel good. They kept me from being bored. I had no interest in their feelings. If they felt bad, I would try helping them feel better because deep down, I felt like a better person. Helping them had little to do with actually caring about them. I liked playing tennis with others because I was getting better. I liked getting good grades because others would think highly of ME. I liked talking to people, because it expanded MY MIND.
I didn't understand that life was about Jesus Christ, not me. When I realized this truth, my life was radically changed. We live for Christ, not ourselves. He gives us meaning. He gives us life. He gives us peace. He gives us EVERYTHING! He loves not because He needs us to feel good about Himself. He loves simply because He loves. He is Love. He loves people for who they are even if they are stained with sin. He loves the lowliest, dirtiest people simply because of who they are: a beautiful creation of God. God is teaching more and more every day to love like Him. Now, I can truly love people simply because of who they are instead of loving them for how they make me feel. This is true love.
7. A common misconception about Christians exists. Some believe that when one becomes a Christian, the storms in their lives cease to exist. This is false.
In reality, storms increase when one becomes a Christian. At least, they have for me. The difference between a non-Christian and a Christian, is that Jesus Christ promises to enter the storms with us. He guides us through it. He is a faithful shepherd.
A Christian can look at storms in the healthy manner of James 1:2-4, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
When storms come, no matter how scary, Christians can be excited because it means we are being refined in the same way gold is purified. To purify gold, it is heated to a very high temperature. The impurities rise to the top and form a layer called dross. The dross is removed and when the gold solidifies, it is pure. Storms are the heat. Impurities are sins a Christian deals with. The finished product, gold, is a purer Christian more closely mirroring Jesus Christ Himself.
So if I were to answer your question, "tell me about your storms" a sufficient response would be that my storms are more than welcome. I know that the storms in my life bring me one step closer to being like Jesus and bring me closer to actually being in the presence of Jesus Himself. Being in His presence is the longing of my heart. I can't wait to see Him!
8. 1 Corinthians 10:13 - "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." (Again, you can read this verse in Spanish if the English is too difficult.)
God protects me by always promising to provide a way of escape for me from my temptations. He doesn't altogether remove my temptations for the very reason I wrote about in question 7. God allows us to go through storms/fire so we can come out on the other end as gold! And of course, He promises to go through them with us. Romans 8:26 says, "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." It is more than reassuring to know, that the Holy Spirit is working on my behalf to help me overcome my temptations and is therefore protecting me. This idea is reinforced by Hebrews 4:15-16, "For we do not have a high priest (Jesus) who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
In addition, John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." Jesus also protects me from Hell, eternal torment. He has replaced it with a life eternally enjoying Him.
9. 1 Peter 1:6-9 reads "In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith - more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire - may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Tough you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
As you can in see in combination with my answer for question 7., everything, even storms, is for the glory of God. And referring back to question 3. a Christian is successful every time he/she gives glory to God.
10. All of my answers thus far have been based off of the Bible. :)
11. Meeting God is simple because He is everywhere at once. Speak and He hears you. Move and He sees you. Pray and He listens. Submit to His will and He will adopt you into His family. Faith in Jesus Christ is the only requirement to become an adopted child of God.
After meeting God, the best way to get to know Him is to do His will. We discover what His will is by reading the Bible and living for Him. Very simply put, His will is to display His glory and for all people from everywhere to know His glory and enjoy it. We get to know God by being obedient to Him and enjoying the benefits of a life spent obeying Him in love, truth, and Spirit.
12. I know God has provided not only a better life for me, but the best life. John 10:10 says, "The thief (the Devil) comes to steal and kill and destroy. I (Jesus) came that they may have life and have it abundantly." Living in God's truth means living in love, faith, joy, and peace. Christians walk in the light and they love it. There is no condemnation in Jesus Christ. We are free to be exactly who we are because we've been washed in the Blood of the Lamb!
Believing in anything else but the truth of God would be believing in the lies of Satan. John 8:44 speaks of Satan in this way: "He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies." When we don't listen to God's voice, we are prone to listening to the lies of Satan. The lies of Satan exist to wound, injure, destroy, take life, and murder.
Simply put, living more and more in God's truths = living better. Living more and more believing the lies of Satan = a life littered with more senseless pain and suffering ultimately ending in an eternity in Hell where there is constant weeping and gnashing of teeth.
1. - What did you do when you meet God?
2. - How is your life now that you’re a Christian?
3. - How God provide you success?
4. – How can you help people although God?
5. – How God speak with you?
6. – did you change or your feeling change?
7. – Tell me about your storms
8. – How God protect you?
9. – What does the Bible say about the storms?
10. – What does the Bible about the questions?
11. – What is the best way to meet God?
12. – How do you know that God has a better life for you?
My answers:
1. My first encounter with God came with the realization of the fundamental truth that Christ loves me. As humans, we are sinners. Our sin separates us from our Creator and Lover: God. There is nothing we can do to fix this situation. We have offended a holy God. The penalty must be of equal magnitude. (For example: the penalty for offending the president is much more severe than if you offended your younger sister.) In order to fix the situation, we must have a holy act of retribution. This holy act of retribution was fulfilled when Jesus Christ willingly died on the cross and took our sins upon Himself. It was considered holy because Jesus is God. And Jesus did this because He loves us. In order to benefit from this act, we only have to believe in its truth. When one first believes in this truth, it is absolutely mind-blowing. The only sufficient response is gratitude and a laying down of your life for Jesus. I cried harder than I ever have in my life. The only words I could utter: "Thank you Jesus. Thank you God."
2. My life has drastically changed now that I'm a Christian. I never imagined a life lived for someone else. I only understood what it meant to live for myself. Before Christ entered my life, my decisions were based on my current emotional status and desires. Decisions based on a whim can often result in embarrassment, regret, and shame. And as you can imagine, decisions based on one's personal feelings are not stable. I lived in chaos. I lived in confusion. I lived on shifting sand.
Jesus Christ is God. He created love, faithfulness, justice, joy, peace, patience, etc. He is the Rock. He is not a God of confusion or chaos. He is a God of clarity. He is forever consistent. He is forever the same. He knows everything. He is my shepherd. Therefore, since he is all-knowing, I have the best mentor in all existence. He will never stray me wrong. I have someone I can go to who will never wrong me. This provides a peace that transcends all understanding. When I don't understand something, I can rest in the fact that God understands and I am safe and secure in His hands.
My life is no longer full of fear and anxiety. Instead, I can lovingly look my Savior Jesus Christ in the eyes, and all my fear and anxiety melt away. I am free, truly free to live a life in wild abandonment fully knowing that everything will be alright because I am vigorously loved by the God of the Universe. I can do all things through Christ who compels me!
3. Biblical success can be achieved by doing the will of the Father. Hebrews 12:1 says "...let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Read this verse in Spanish if the English was confusing.)
Success for Jesus Christ was doing the work God had given Him to do on earth. The work was living a perfect life culminating in his crucifixion. He was successful because he reached his goal. He lived a perfect life and at the end of his earthly ministry, he was crucified as a sacrifice for all men. This is radically different from today's idea of success. Not many believe being crucified is a success.
However, success is the same for me. God has something for me to do here on earth. Doing that will mean I will become successful. All the while, I will be "looking to Jesus" to guide me. I may even be crucified? But if it is in the name of Jesus Christ, then I will be successfully crucified!
4. I don't understand question 4. Can you rephrase it?
5. Very practically, God speaks to me through the Bible. He speaks to me, as He did to the nation of Israel throughout time, through the multiple Prophets such as Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, etc. He speaks to me through David's Psalms. He speaks to me through the Proverbs of Solomon. He speaks to me through the life of Jesus as recorded through the Gospels. He speaks to me through the disciples such as Peter, John, Matthew, and Paul the apostle.
More abstractly, He speaks to me through prayer. Sometimes I pray so hard I start to cry even if I am very happy. Sometimes I burst into laughter and I can't stop myself. Sometimes I quiver with my head on the floor. I have thoughts that I know are not of myself. It's my voice in my own head but I know they are not my thoughts. If these thoughts are consistent with Scripture (the Bible) then I am certain God has spoken to me. If Scripture doesn't speak of a specific thought I have, then I am more cautious about where the thought came from and pray more about it. I am human. I can still deceive myself sometimes. But I am getting better at distinguishing God's voice from other things. It is a still, small voice so I have to concentrate very hard. We live in a noisy world.
God also communicates with me through the Holy Spirit. In this way, I often experience very intense emotions. For example, this past summer, I wanted to go to Thailand with my friend Addison. But after I resolved to go, I had a deep unsettling feeling. I stopped eating. I couldn't see straight. I became dizzy often. I decided to go to India instead of Thailand. At the moment I decided that, my unsettling feelings ceased and I was overcome with peace. Through these emotions, God was telling me to go to India and not Thailand.
6. Like I wrote in question 2., my life has drastically changed. I'm going to focus on the way I used to think about people and how I think about them now.
Before Christ, my relationship with others was based on myself. I never truly loved anyone. I liked spending time with others because they made ME feel good. They kept me from being bored. I had no interest in their feelings. If they felt bad, I would try helping them feel better because deep down, I felt like a better person. Helping them had little to do with actually caring about them. I liked playing tennis with others because I was getting better. I liked getting good grades because others would think highly of ME. I liked talking to people, because it expanded MY MIND.
I didn't understand that life was about Jesus Christ, not me. When I realized this truth, my life was radically changed. We live for Christ, not ourselves. He gives us meaning. He gives us life. He gives us peace. He gives us EVERYTHING! He loves not because He needs us to feel good about Himself. He loves simply because He loves. He is Love. He loves people for who they are even if they are stained with sin. He loves the lowliest, dirtiest people simply because of who they are: a beautiful creation of God. God is teaching more and more every day to love like Him. Now, I can truly love people simply because of who they are instead of loving them for how they make me feel. This is true love.
7. A common misconception about Christians exists. Some believe that when one becomes a Christian, the storms in their lives cease to exist. This is false.
In reality, storms increase when one becomes a Christian. At least, they have for me. The difference between a non-Christian and a Christian, is that Jesus Christ promises to enter the storms with us. He guides us through it. He is a faithful shepherd.
A Christian can look at storms in the healthy manner of James 1:2-4, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
When storms come, no matter how scary, Christians can be excited because it means we are being refined in the same way gold is purified. To purify gold, it is heated to a very high temperature. The impurities rise to the top and form a layer called dross. The dross is removed and when the gold solidifies, it is pure. Storms are the heat. Impurities are sins a Christian deals with. The finished product, gold, is a purer Christian more closely mirroring Jesus Christ Himself.
So if I were to answer your question, "tell me about your storms" a sufficient response would be that my storms are more than welcome. I know that the storms in my life bring me one step closer to being like Jesus and bring me closer to actually being in the presence of Jesus Himself. Being in His presence is the longing of my heart. I can't wait to see Him!
8. 1 Corinthians 10:13 - "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." (Again, you can read this verse in Spanish if the English is too difficult.)
God protects me by always promising to provide a way of escape for me from my temptations. He doesn't altogether remove my temptations for the very reason I wrote about in question 7. God allows us to go through storms/fire so we can come out on the other end as gold! And of course, He promises to go through them with us. Romans 8:26 says, "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." It is more than reassuring to know, that the Holy Spirit is working on my behalf to help me overcome my temptations and is therefore protecting me. This idea is reinforced by Hebrews 4:15-16, "For we do not have a high priest (Jesus) who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
In addition, John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." Jesus also protects me from Hell, eternal torment. He has replaced it with a life eternally enjoying Him.
9. 1 Peter 1:6-9 reads "In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith - more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire - may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Tough you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
As you can in see in combination with my answer for question 7., everything, even storms, is for the glory of God. And referring back to question 3. a Christian is successful every time he/she gives glory to God.
10. All of my answers thus far have been based off of the Bible. :)
11. Meeting God is simple because He is everywhere at once. Speak and He hears you. Move and He sees you. Pray and He listens. Submit to His will and He will adopt you into His family. Faith in Jesus Christ is the only requirement to become an adopted child of God.
After meeting God, the best way to get to know Him is to do His will. We discover what His will is by reading the Bible and living for Him. Very simply put, His will is to display His glory and for all people from everywhere to know His glory and enjoy it. We get to know God by being obedient to Him and enjoying the benefits of a life spent obeying Him in love, truth, and Spirit.
12. I know God has provided not only a better life for me, but the best life. John 10:10 says, "The thief (the Devil) comes to steal and kill and destroy. I (Jesus) came that they may have life and have it abundantly." Living in God's truth means living in love, faith, joy, and peace. Christians walk in the light and they love it. There is no condemnation in Jesus Christ. We are free to be exactly who we are because we've been washed in the Blood of the Lamb!
Believing in anything else but the truth of God would be believing in the lies of Satan. John 8:44 speaks of Satan in this way: "He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies." When we don't listen to God's voice, we are prone to listening to the lies of Satan. The lies of Satan exist to wound, injure, destroy, take life, and murder.
Simply put, living more and more in God's truths = living better. Living more and more believing the lies of Satan = a life littered with more senseless pain and suffering ultimately ending in an eternity in Hell where there is constant weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Divine Encounters - God is Full of Them
July 7, 2010 (Wednesday)
The team split into a couple different groups today. Some stayed at the camping site, others went to pass out more seeds in the villages, and the team I was on hiked to the top of one of the nearby mountains. My team consisted of Dani, Brittany, Alex, Zak, and me. Backpacks full with vegetable seeds (just in case we met someone on our hike), apples and an onion, knives, definitely toilet paper, et-cetera, we swiftly departed at 11 am after breakfast was clean up.
It hadn't rained since I awakened and I was really hoping that it wouldn't rain for the rest of the day. The forest/jungle floor was already drenched and everything, even me after 15 minutes was damp. The tall tress contained all the moisture beneath them. It was like walking in a giant steamer. I, for a moment, imagined myself filling up with water like a rice grain. I was about to explode when I snapped out of it walking across some very slippery rocks. It wasn't once that my teammates slipped and I definitely saw Brittany on the ground more than once. Altogether, the first hours was loaded with beautiful scenery, exotic mushrooms, and unusual plants.
As we ascended higher, the view of the surrounding mountains became even more breath-taking. We settled on a plateau about half way up the mountain to rest our burning calves and eat lunch. We ate apples, I split an onion with Dani in which we ate like an apple (bad decision), and Wai Wai (the Indian equivalent of Top Ramen). On the opposing mountain, we could clearly see Pujalti (the village we were camping in) and Moldar (one of the villages nearby Pujalti that we visit often) from where we were.
We sat for about 10 minutes enjoying the view and the food when we heard some voices in the distance. The voices grew louder. They were approaching. Within the minute, 3 ladies no taller than 5 feet emerged onto the plateau. We exchanged awkward non-verbal gestures before they started asking us questions in Hindi. It quickly became apparent that we knew very little Hindi so they settled with smiling, encouraging us to follow them via waving, and repeating "chelo" - come on. People are so friendly here. We agreed, "hanji" - yes, and asked "upar ya neeche?" - up or down? They replied, "upar" and pointed up the mountain. We strapped our backpacks back on and continued our ascent, now accompanied with 3 new friends.
They coaxed us up a very steep part of the mountain. We followed. After 20 minutes, we reach another plateau but much farther up the mountain (these ladies walked quickly). They could tell we were pooped, even Dani who plays Division I soccer at the University of Arkansas, so we rested while they dispersed into the surrounding area. Dressed in traditional Indian clothing, sporting rubber shoes probably 2 sizes too small or too big, and hair braided back under 2 Garhwali bandanas, these 3 ladies began climbing trees with the ease and grace of a langoor (grey monkey). They hacked away branch after branch with sharp sickles, each a building block for a giant bundle I could see quickly forming. One of the ladies, obviously the youngest, probably 15, began cutting wild grass growing in large clumps with her sickle. The sickles were super, super sharp. They could probably easily murder a mountain goat with them. She packed it into a large sack that was bigger than her, probably twice her size in volume.
Meanwhile I, still unevenly breathing, began taking pictures and recorded a short video blog. The mountains and superhero Tarzan ladies were just too remarkable to not capture in some form. However, the pictures and video did not do them justice. I set my camera down and opted to just rest in awe. The mountains are so wild and big and indescribable. I can't imagine how God built them all and carved them with the flood. Oh, and I forgot to mention that God healed my ankle a couple nights prior so I was marveling at how... normal it was sitting on the top of this mountain. It hurt every time my foot landed at an awkward angle and I was sure it was going to get worse so I prayed for God to heal it if he wanted me to hike through these mountains. The following morning of when I prayed, it felt like a different ankle. God is so incredible!
Still marveling, I laid out my poncho and closed my eyes. Even though the sun blazed through my eyelids, I rested for about 20 minutes. I dreamt about running at top speed off of one of the peaks and opening mechanical wings. I could soar through the sky like a flying squirrel witnessing the majesty of the Himalayan Mountains from a bird's eye view. And when I started getting too low, a gust of wind could blow me up to peak-level again. "Chelo!" The ladies startled me awake. They were finished collecting branches and grass for their cows and water buffalo.
The bundles were staggering! They must have been 6 ft x 6 ft x 4 ft and packed tightly with ropes and vines. To pick them up, the ladies would lean their backs up against them after propping them up onto a hillside, plant their feet firmly in the ground, and then in an amazing feat of back and leg strength, roll into a prostrate position, often taking a couple of steps forward due to the incredible momentum. These ladies were studs! They still hadn't broken a sweat! The one 15-year old girl dead lifted her sack, tightly packed with grass, onto her shoulder, and then rolled it up her neck and onto her head! It must have weighed 45-60 lbs. And then, we started walking down the hill.
Oh yeah! No problem. I had to take a nap when I got to the top of the mountain but these ladies were climbing 40-ft. trees! And now they were descending probably 60-degree declines carrying loads bigger then them on their backs and heads. And they were fast! At times, I was having trouble keeping up with them. They defied the laws of physics. Each probably weighed close to only 110 lbs. I was so much in awe. Nothing made sense. And I'm guessing it was written on our faces because they were laughing and smiling the whole while. Oh, and I forgot to mention, they hadn't had a sip of water thus far and I was almost finished with my 800 mL Klean Kanteen water bottle.
About 15 minutes into our descent, the ladies put their bundles down and dispersed again. What were they up to? We didn't know the way down since we took a different path than on the way up, so we sat down and sang hymns while we waited for them. Fifteen minutes later, they reappeared with grins on their faces. I knew they were up to something. One of the ladies held out a petite bundle of branches neatly wrapped like a present in vines. I walked up and grabbed it and understood. They were asking us to carry some cow food down with them. I excitedly replied by placing it on my head and smiling. It was probably 5 lbs. They must have thought I was a weakling. The good news? They must have thought my whole team was a bunch of weaklings because they whipped out 4 more same-sized bundles and handed one each to my teammates. They responded similarly and gladly placed their respective bundles on their heads. With added weight and joy, we descended the mountain in 50 minutes, what took us 2 hours to climb. We were honorary Garhwali women.
After we set the bundles down at one the lady's house, she treated us to chai and some weird Indian cookies that were horrendous but thoughtful nevertheless. We sat on a rug o her roof. We drank up and quickly left to make it clear that we weren't interested in compensation for what little we helped. She was grateful and waved us farewell. Before we left, we prayed for her, her family, and her household. I pray this bright lady saw the love of God in us today.
We returned to the camping site and told our host father about all we had seen and done. He was extremely excited and the reason was so appropriate. The 3 ladies we helped were part of households that, for the last 12 years my host parents have been visiting Deolsari, been unfriendly and at times hostile towards them. "What happened today," my host father rejoiced, "may have opened up a huge window of opportunity and trust." God so blessed me with divinely meeting these ladies on the mountainside in the middle of absolutely no where. Praise God!!
Since I've left the States, I've been praying about who to gift 3 baseballs the WVU baseball team signed. In the past weeks, the answer had become ever clearer - the 3 Christian boys in Pujalti village. So, after dinner, Brittany and I told the boys, who just so happened to be around when the baseballs were amidst the forefront of my thoughts and prayers, that we had a gift for them. We told them that through accepting these baseballs, they would help Brittany and I bless the baseball team back home in Morgantown, as well as tell the baseball team about the faiths of these 3 young, bright lights. I think I was even more excited to give these kids these baseballs than they were to receive them. Nevertheless, they were excited...and confused. They had never seen a baseball in their lives and I don't think they understood the concept of a signature - how signatures magically make common day items into collectibles. Their first reaction: they threw them on the dirty concrete to see if they would bounce. We had a good laugh and that was that. I wonder what they'll do with them?
After dinner, while Brittany, Kirra, and I were doing dishes, a crowd of children surrounded us. I could tell they wanted something. "Kya?" - "what," I asked. "Peela goo," a bunch of them shouted. "Peela goo" means "yellow poop." Apparently, one of the children had seen one of the pictures of funny poop I had on my camera and told all the other ones. After we finished the dishes, I pulled out my camera an shoed all of them the now highly-acclaimed picture of peela goo. Of course, they all (around a dozen) burst into laughter. Elated with the natural comedy of poop, we set out together in a real-time journey to search for REAL POOP!
Within the first minute, I found a nice pile of poop with plenty of character in what seemed to be an open courtyard. The kids, again, died from laughter and also informed me that 2 piles of poop had evaded my sight while getting to the one I was now crouched next to. The absurdity of the situation hit me at that moment and all of us laughed for a good 2 minutes straight. I'm glad poop is funny no matter where you are in the world. In addition, this latest poop escapade had elevated me to celebrity status in Pujalti. All of the kids' eyes were fixed on me so I took advantage of the situation and captures all of their cute faces on video.
After the video, we sang and played fun games like Kung Fu (of while I also have a video) and Fire on the Mountain. It was beautiful to see low caste and high caste children all playing together. While the caste system is somewhat dwindling in more urban areas, it is still a big deal in the villages. While we were doing dishes, one of the children asked what caste I was in. I find it very interesting how up-front they are about asking that kind of question. It made me think about how in America, we don't have castes but we subconsciously apply castes, or social classes to people and because of it, treat people a certain way accordingly. It was cute really. I got to respond, "There is no caste system in the kingdom of God. Everyone is equal because they are all children of God. Isn't that neat?"
The team split into a couple different groups today. Some stayed at the camping site, others went to pass out more seeds in the villages, and the team I was on hiked to the top of one of the nearby mountains. My team consisted of Dani, Brittany, Alex, Zak, and me. Backpacks full with vegetable seeds (just in case we met someone on our hike), apples and an onion, knives, definitely toilet paper, et-cetera, we swiftly departed at 11 am after breakfast was clean up.
It hadn't rained since I awakened and I was really hoping that it wouldn't rain for the rest of the day. The forest/jungle floor was already drenched and everything, even me after 15 minutes was damp. The tall tress contained all the moisture beneath them. It was like walking in a giant steamer. I, for a moment, imagined myself filling up with water like a rice grain. I was about to explode when I snapped out of it walking across some very slippery rocks. It wasn't once that my teammates slipped and I definitely saw Brittany on the ground more than once. Altogether, the first hours was loaded with beautiful scenery, exotic mushrooms, and unusual plants.
As we ascended higher, the view of the surrounding mountains became even more breath-taking. We settled on a plateau about half way up the mountain to rest our burning calves and eat lunch. We ate apples, I split an onion with Dani in which we ate like an apple (bad decision), and Wai Wai (the Indian equivalent of Top Ramen). On the opposing mountain, we could clearly see Pujalti (the village we were camping in) and Moldar (one of the villages nearby Pujalti that we visit often) from where we were.
We sat for about 10 minutes enjoying the view and the food when we heard some voices in the distance. The voices grew louder. They were approaching. Within the minute, 3 ladies no taller than 5 feet emerged onto the plateau. We exchanged awkward non-verbal gestures before they started asking us questions in Hindi. It quickly became apparent that we knew very little Hindi so they settled with smiling, encouraging us to follow them via waving, and repeating "chelo" - come on. People are so friendly here. We agreed, "hanji" - yes, and asked "upar ya neeche?" - up or down? They replied, "upar" and pointed up the mountain. We strapped our backpacks back on and continued our ascent, now accompanied with 3 new friends.
They coaxed us up a very steep part of the mountain. We followed. After 20 minutes, we reach another plateau but much farther up the mountain (these ladies walked quickly). They could tell we were pooped, even Dani who plays Division I soccer at the University of Arkansas, so we rested while they dispersed into the surrounding area. Dressed in traditional Indian clothing, sporting rubber shoes probably 2 sizes too small or too big, and hair braided back under 2 Garhwali bandanas, these 3 ladies began climbing trees with the ease and grace of a langoor (grey monkey). They hacked away branch after branch with sharp sickles, each a building block for a giant bundle I could see quickly forming. One of the ladies, obviously the youngest, probably 15, began cutting wild grass growing in large clumps with her sickle. The sickles were super, super sharp. They could probably easily murder a mountain goat with them. She packed it into a large sack that was bigger than her, probably twice her size in volume.
Meanwhile I, still unevenly breathing, began taking pictures and recorded a short video blog. The mountains and superhero Tarzan ladies were just too remarkable to not capture in some form. However, the pictures and video did not do them justice. I set my camera down and opted to just rest in awe. The mountains are so wild and big and indescribable. I can't imagine how God built them all and carved them with the flood. Oh, and I forgot to mention that God healed my ankle a couple nights prior so I was marveling at how... normal it was sitting on the top of this mountain. It hurt every time my foot landed at an awkward angle and I was sure it was going to get worse so I prayed for God to heal it if he wanted me to hike through these mountains. The following morning of when I prayed, it felt like a different ankle. God is so incredible!
Still marveling, I laid out my poncho and closed my eyes. Even though the sun blazed through my eyelids, I rested for about 20 minutes. I dreamt about running at top speed off of one of the peaks and opening mechanical wings. I could soar through the sky like a flying squirrel witnessing the majesty of the Himalayan Mountains from a bird's eye view. And when I started getting too low, a gust of wind could blow me up to peak-level again. "Chelo!" The ladies startled me awake. They were finished collecting branches and grass for their cows and water buffalo.
The bundles were staggering! They must have been 6 ft x 6 ft x 4 ft and packed tightly with ropes and vines. To pick them up, the ladies would lean their backs up against them after propping them up onto a hillside, plant their feet firmly in the ground, and then in an amazing feat of back and leg strength, roll into a prostrate position, often taking a couple of steps forward due to the incredible momentum. These ladies were studs! They still hadn't broken a sweat! The one 15-year old girl dead lifted her sack, tightly packed with grass, onto her shoulder, and then rolled it up her neck and onto her head! It must have weighed 45-60 lbs. And then, we started walking down the hill.
Oh yeah! No problem. I had to take a nap when I got to the top of the mountain but these ladies were climbing 40-ft. trees! And now they were descending probably 60-degree declines carrying loads bigger then them on their backs and heads. And they were fast! At times, I was having trouble keeping up with them. They defied the laws of physics. Each probably weighed close to only 110 lbs. I was so much in awe. Nothing made sense. And I'm guessing it was written on our faces because they were laughing and smiling the whole while. Oh, and I forgot to mention, they hadn't had a sip of water thus far and I was almost finished with my 800 mL Klean Kanteen water bottle.
About 15 minutes into our descent, the ladies put their bundles down and dispersed again. What were they up to? We didn't know the way down since we took a different path than on the way up, so we sat down and sang hymns while we waited for them. Fifteen minutes later, they reappeared with grins on their faces. I knew they were up to something. One of the ladies held out a petite bundle of branches neatly wrapped like a present in vines. I walked up and grabbed it and understood. They were asking us to carry some cow food down with them. I excitedly replied by placing it on my head and smiling. It was probably 5 lbs. They must have thought I was a weakling. The good news? They must have thought my whole team was a bunch of weaklings because they whipped out 4 more same-sized bundles and handed one each to my teammates. They responded similarly and gladly placed their respective bundles on their heads. With added weight and joy, we descended the mountain in 50 minutes, what took us 2 hours to climb. We were honorary Garhwali women.
After we set the bundles down at one the lady's house, she treated us to chai and some weird Indian cookies that were horrendous but thoughtful nevertheless. We sat on a rug o her roof. We drank up and quickly left to make it clear that we weren't interested in compensation for what little we helped. She was grateful and waved us farewell. Before we left, we prayed for her, her family, and her household. I pray this bright lady saw the love of God in us today.
We returned to the camping site and told our host father about all we had seen and done. He was extremely excited and the reason was so appropriate. The 3 ladies we helped were part of households that, for the last 12 years my host parents have been visiting Deolsari, been unfriendly and at times hostile towards them. "What happened today," my host father rejoiced, "may have opened up a huge window of opportunity and trust." God so blessed me with divinely meeting these ladies on the mountainside in the middle of absolutely no where. Praise God!!
Since I've left the States, I've been praying about who to gift 3 baseballs the WVU baseball team signed. In the past weeks, the answer had become ever clearer - the 3 Christian boys in Pujalti village. So, after dinner, Brittany and I told the boys, who just so happened to be around when the baseballs were amidst the forefront of my thoughts and prayers, that we had a gift for them. We told them that through accepting these baseballs, they would help Brittany and I bless the baseball team back home in Morgantown, as well as tell the baseball team about the faiths of these 3 young, bright lights. I think I was even more excited to give these kids these baseballs than they were to receive them. Nevertheless, they were excited...and confused. They had never seen a baseball in their lives and I don't think they understood the concept of a signature - how signatures magically make common day items into collectibles. Their first reaction: they threw them on the dirty concrete to see if they would bounce. We had a good laugh and that was that. I wonder what they'll do with them?
After dinner, while Brittany, Kirra, and I were doing dishes, a crowd of children surrounded us. I could tell they wanted something. "Kya?" - "what," I asked. "Peela goo," a bunch of them shouted. "Peela goo" means "yellow poop." Apparently, one of the children had seen one of the pictures of funny poop I had on my camera and told all the other ones. After we finished the dishes, I pulled out my camera an shoed all of them the now highly-acclaimed picture of peela goo. Of course, they all (around a dozen) burst into laughter. Elated with the natural comedy of poop, we set out together in a real-time journey to search for REAL POOP!
Within the first minute, I found a nice pile of poop with plenty of character in what seemed to be an open courtyard. The kids, again, died from laughter and also informed me that 2 piles of poop had evaded my sight while getting to the one I was now crouched next to. The absurdity of the situation hit me at that moment and all of us laughed for a good 2 minutes straight. I'm glad poop is funny no matter where you are in the world. In addition, this latest poop escapade had elevated me to celebrity status in Pujalti. All of the kids' eyes were fixed on me so I took advantage of the situation and captures all of their cute faces on video.
After the video, we sang and played fun games like Kung Fu (of while I also have a video) and Fire on the Mountain. It was beautiful to see low caste and high caste children all playing together. While the caste system is somewhat dwindling in more urban areas, it is still a big deal in the villages. While we were doing dishes, one of the children asked what caste I was in. I find it very interesting how up-front they are about asking that kind of question. It made me think about how in America, we don't have castes but we subconsciously apply castes, or social classes to people and because of it, treat people a certain way accordingly. It was cute really. I got to respond, "There is no caste system in the kingdom of God. Everyone is equal because they are all children of God. Isn't that neat?"
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Thoughts Before Departure
Didn't sleep. Instead, talked to a friend about 1 Chronicles 17:16 where David asks the Lord, "Who am I, O Lord, that you have brought me thus far?" In other words, why have I been saved by grace through the blood of Jesus Christ, while others' hearts will remain forever hardened to God? Why have I been chosen? I think I was experiencing the kind of sorrow Paul speaks of when he says in Romans 9:3, "for I wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh." Romans 9:2 - "I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart."
I'm still going through it. I to some greater degree than before, understand what "unceasing" means now. Maybe it will only intensify? Praise God there is rest in Jesus Christ and our burdens are gladly bearing. We serve such a wonderful God! He wants everything from me - my complaints, my troubles, my sorrow. Incredible! I think that is what you call a righteous and holy God!
But back on track...
To help me find peace about this truth - that some people are objects of wrath while others have become objects of mercy, my friend said something very interesting. To begin, he quoted Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge He, and He will make straight your paths."
To elaborate, our minds are weak and feeble, cursed by generations of corrosive, corrupting sin. We are not to be trusted. What little knowledge and understanding we possess - it is, of itself, insufficient and self-destructive. However, the Lord our God who loves us and has redeemed us to himself through the Cross, does possess all things that are good and is to be trusted. Therefore, (this is a pretty practical concept) we cannot trust ourselves but should instead trust God with EVERYTHING.
Now, this portion isn't directly biblical but hear me out. My friend said, "What if our soul decided things long before our brains or hearts did?" Perhaps therein exists something concerning God's calliing us to Himself that we cannot see, but He can? This made a lot of sense to me. For instance, why is it that my favorite color is blue? Why is it that I abhor mustard? I didn't chooose these things. I don't think, they are genetic. My Dad doesn't care for blue and he likes mustard. They just are. Perhaps my soul (the part of me that is made in the image of God for a specific purpose/reason) chose to love blue and detest mustard long before my brain understood? Perhaps my soul knew God would redeem me long before my head "got it?" Take it back even further if you are not a believer in Christ nor God, and perhaps there is a being who meticulously and purposefully created you? Maybe everyone isn't a product of chance and science? Perhaps my soul knew these words long before I could pronounce them or knew how to write?
And in His amazing grace and divine providence, God has in some way, unbeknownst to me (but maybe to my soul?) allowed me to understand with my head, that every "perhaps" question (and many more) I've listed above is undeniably and inextricably answered with a screaming and glaring "YES!!" We don't deserve answers but God is so gracious. He gives us some answers and gives us peace.
There is a God! He exists!
I don't know why, but He loves me! Me!
I don't understand, but He does. And I will trust Him!
He sent His Son to live the perfect life I could not. He sent His Son to bear witness to the Truth when I was born into sin - a lie. He died the death that saves us all from separation from God - the giver of life/ star breather! he died willingly, thinking greatly of us, when all I can do well is think of myself.
Indeed, I will trust in the Lord, my God!
I'm still going through it. I to some greater degree than before, understand what "unceasing" means now. Maybe it will only intensify? Praise God there is rest in Jesus Christ and our burdens are gladly bearing. We serve such a wonderful God! He wants everything from me - my complaints, my troubles, my sorrow. Incredible! I think that is what you call a righteous and holy God!
But back on track...
To help me find peace about this truth - that some people are objects of wrath while others have become objects of mercy, my friend said something very interesting. To begin, he quoted Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge He, and He will make straight your paths."
To elaborate, our minds are weak and feeble, cursed by generations of corrosive, corrupting sin. We are not to be trusted. What little knowledge and understanding we possess - it is, of itself, insufficient and self-destructive. However, the Lord our God who loves us and has redeemed us to himself through the Cross, does possess all things that are good and is to be trusted. Therefore, (this is a pretty practical concept) we cannot trust ourselves but should instead trust God with EVERYTHING.
Now, this portion isn't directly biblical but hear me out. My friend said, "What if our soul decided things long before our brains or hearts did?" Perhaps therein exists something concerning God's calliing us to Himself that we cannot see, but He can? This made a lot of sense to me. For instance, why is it that my favorite color is blue? Why is it that I abhor mustard? I didn't chooose these things. I don't think, they are genetic. My Dad doesn't care for blue and he likes mustard. They just are. Perhaps my soul (the part of me that is made in the image of God for a specific purpose/reason) chose to love blue and detest mustard long before my brain understood? Perhaps my soul knew God would redeem me long before my head "got it?" Take it back even further if you are not a believer in Christ nor God, and perhaps there is a being who meticulously and purposefully created you? Maybe everyone isn't a product of chance and science? Perhaps my soul knew these words long before I could pronounce them or knew how to write?
And in His amazing grace and divine providence, God has in some way, unbeknownst to me (but maybe to my soul?) allowed me to understand with my head, that every "perhaps" question (and many more) I've listed above is undeniably and inextricably answered with a screaming and glaring "YES!!" We don't deserve answers but God is so gracious. He gives us some answers and gives us peace.
There is a God! He exists!
I don't know why, but He loves me! Me!
I don't understand, but He does. And I will trust Him!
He sent His Son to live the perfect life I could not. He sent His Son to bear witness to the Truth when I was born into sin - a lie. He died the death that saves us all from separation from God - the giver of life/ star breather! he died willingly, thinking greatly of us, when all I can do well is think of myself.
Indeed, I will trust in the Lord, my God!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Navy SEAL
An excerpt from "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller:
"A long time ago I went to a concert with my friend Rebecca. Rebecca can sing better than anybody I've ever heard sing. I heard this folksinger was coming to town, and I thought she might like to see him because she was a singer too. The tickets were twenty bucks, which is a lot if you're not on a date. Between songs, though, he told a story that helped me resolve some things about God. The story was about his friend who is a Navy SEAL. He told it like it was true, so I guess it was true, although it could have been a lie.
The folksinger said his friend was performing a covert operation, freeing hostages from a building in some dark part of the world. His friend's team flew in by helicopter, made their way to the compound and stormed into the room where the hostages had been imprisoned for months. The room, the folksinger said, was filthy and dark. The hostages were curled up in a corner, terrified. When the SEALs entered the room, they heard the gasps of the hostages. They stood at the door and called to the prisoners, telling them they were Americans. The SEALs asked the hostages to follow them, but the hostages wouldn't. They sat there on the floor and hid their eyes in fear. They were not of healthy mind and didn't believe their rescuers were really Americans.
The SEALs stood there, not knowing what to do. They couldn't possibly carry everybody out. One of the SEALs, the folksinger's friend, got an idea. He put down his weapon, took off his helmet, and curled up tightly next to the other hostages, getting so close his body was touching some of theirs. He softened the look on his face and put his arms around them. He was trying to show them that he was one of them. None of the prion guards would have done this. He stayed there for a little while until some of the hostages started to look at him, finally meeting his eyes. The Navy SEAL whispered that they were Americans and were there to rescue them. Will you follow us? he said. The hero stood to his feet and one of the hostages did the same, then another, until all of them were willing to go. The story ends with all the hostages safe on an American carrier."
What a beautiful portrayal of 1 Corinthians 9:22! "To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some."
The Navy SEAL humbled himself to weakness to save the weak, much in the same way our Savior humbled himself to a human form, vulnerable to the sin and evil that has corrupted our world, to save us sinners. Beautiful. Amen.
"A long time ago I went to a concert with my friend Rebecca. Rebecca can sing better than anybody I've ever heard sing. I heard this folksinger was coming to town, and I thought she might like to see him because she was a singer too. The tickets were twenty bucks, which is a lot if you're not on a date. Between songs, though, he told a story that helped me resolve some things about God. The story was about his friend who is a Navy SEAL. He told it like it was true, so I guess it was true, although it could have been a lie.
The folksinger said his friend was performing a covert operation, freeing hostages from a building in some dark part of the world. His friend's team flew in by helicopter, made their way to the compound and stormed into the room where the hostages had been imprisoned for months. The room, the folksinger said, was filthy and dark. The hostages were curled up in a corner, terrified. When the SEALs entered the room, they heard the gasps of the hostages. They stood at the door and called to the prisoners, telling them they were Americans. The SEALs asked the hostages to follow them, but the hostages wouldn't. They sat there on the floor and hid their eyes in fear. They were not of healthy mind and didn't believe their rescuers were really Americans.
The SEALs stood there, not knowing what to do. They couldn't possibly carry everybody out. One of the SEALs, the folksinger's friend, got an idea. He put down his weapon, took off his helmet, and curled up tightly next to the other hostages, getting so close his body was touching some of theirs. He softened the look on his face and put his arms around them. He was trying to show them that he was one of them. None of the prion guards would have done this. He stayed there for a little while until some of the hostages started to look at him, finally meeting his eyes. The Navy SEAL whispered that they were Americans and were there to rescue them. Will you follow us? he said. The hero stood to his feet and one of the hostages did the same, then another, until all of them were willing to go. The story ends with all the hostages safe on an American carrier."
What a beautiful portrayal of 1 Corinthians 9:22! "To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some."
The Navy SEAL humbled himself to weakness to save the weak, much in the same way our Savior humbled himself to a human form, vulnerable to the sin and evil that has corrupted our world, to save us sinners. Beautiful. Amen.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
My Desire for Blogging
For my first blog ever, I could say an absolute infinite number of things. So which words do I choose? Should my first blog be a witty joke sprung forth by my very own imagination? Or a childhood memory? Or should I talk about my day and the feelings I experienced on this very specific day? All are viable but – typical.
America’s culture is a very interesting one. In some countries, you are just a number. But in America, you are taught from a very young age that you are anything but a number. You are taught the American Dream – that anything is possible because you have been blessed with being born American. Truly, it is a blessing. However, using this as the Cornerstone of your life will only reap self-destruction.
The point I’m trying to make: the American culture is centered on the Self. “Believe in Yourself.” How many times have you heard that? Or seen that on a billboard? Or read it in a book? This is a very popular theme concerning motivation, work ethics, self-appreciation, identity, etc. It would be great to believe that everything you have ever worked for is a result of YOU. That YOU earned this. That YOU earned that. “I worked hard for this!”
For many reasons, I believe this has a lot to do with why being American and believing in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, sounds so far-fetched these days [however, not surprising: Paul wrote that Christians would be mocked and ridiculed for their faith in Christ]. To many people, Jesus is just a really, really, really old dead person that likes to tell people how to live their life. He tells you to believe in Him. The Bible confers that it is purely by the grace of God, through Jesus’ death on the Cross, that we can come before God undeserving of the wrath stored up against us for the sins we have committed. We can never perform enough works to get into Heaven. We can never do enough to justify ourselves before a holy God. We can’t do anything.
Therein exists a stark and devastating difference between what our culture tells us, “Believe in your Self. You can do it!” and what the Bible says in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” No one likes to be told that they are helpless. No one likes to be told that their hope is not derived of themselves but rather, from a man/not-man named Jesus Christ.
When I was 17 years of age, I realized this truth. And in doing so, I realized that life is not about me. Life was not intended to be centered on me. Life is centered on Jesus Christ and the glory of God. In Him we find our motivation to live. In Him we find our work ethic. In Him we learn to appreciate that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. In Him we find our identity. In Him we find joy and peace forever.
I in no way want this blog to be centered on me. This blog is dedicated to my Savior who pardoned me of my sin and abides in me this very moment. I want this blog to be about the One I cherish most – Jesus Christ. His love knows no depth. His ways – none can comprehend.
I pray this blog would be used to break down some cultural misconceptions about Jesus, encourage fellow Christians, entertain you, make you mourn, challenge you to question life and consider why you think the way you do, etc. Most of all, I pray that I honor and glorify my Lord and Creator.
Is Jesus Christ the rock-solid Cornerstone of your life? Or are you built on shifting sands?
Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
America’s culture is a very interesting one. In some countries, you are just a number. But in America, you are taught from a very young age that you are anything but a number. You are taught the American Dream – that anything is possible because you have been blessed with being born American. Truly, it is a blessing. However, using this as the Cornerstone of your life will only reap self-destruction.
The point I’m trying to make: the American culture is centered on the Self. “Believe in Yourself.” How many times have you heard that? Or seen that on a billboard? Or read it in a book? This is a very popular theme concerning motivation, work ethics, self-appreciation, identity, etc. It would be great to believe that everything you have ever worked for is a result of YOU. That YOU earned this. That YOU earned that. “I worked hard for this!”
For many reasons, I believe this has a lot to do with why being American and believing in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, sounds so far-fetched these days [however, not surprising: Paul wrote that Christians would be mocked and ridiculed for their faith in Christ]. To many people, Jesus is just a really, really, really old dead person that likes to tell people how to live their life. He tells you to believe in Him. The Bible confers that it is purely by the grace of God, through Jesus’ death on the Cross, that we can come before God undeserving of the wrath stored up against us for the sins we have committed. We can never perform enough works to get into Heaven. We can never do enough to justify ourselves before a holy God. We can’t do anything.
Therein exists a stark and devastating difference between what our culture tells us, “Believe in your Self. You can do it!” and what the Bible says in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” No one likes to be told that they are helpless. No one likes to be told that their hope is not derived of themselves but rather, from a man/not-man named Jesus Christ.
When I was 17 years of age, I realized this truth. And in doing so, I realized that life is not about me. Life was not intended to be centered on me. Life is centered on Jesus Christ and the glory of God. In Him we find our motivation to live. In Him we find our work ethic. In Him we learn to appreciate that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. In Him we find our identity. In Him we find joy and peace forever.
I in no way want this blog to be centered on me. This blog is dedicated to my Savior who pardoned me of my sin and abides in me this very moment. I want this blog to be about the One I cherish most – Jesus Christ. His love knows no depth. His ways – none can comprehend.
I pray this blog would be used to break down some cultural misconceptions about Jesus, encourage fellow Christians, entertain you, make you mourn, challenge you to question life and consider why you think the way you do, etc. Most of all, I pray that I honor and glorify my Lord and Creator.
Is Jesus Christ the rock-solid Cornerstone of your life? Or are you built on shifting sands?
Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
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