Sunday, November 21, 2010

See the Invisible. Hear the Silent.

Imagine this (you may want to imagine this as one of your children, niece, or nephew). You’re 5 years old. What are you doing?
Are you playing tag with your friends? Having tea parties?

You wake up one night to hear a scuffle.
Wake up to find that your parents have been killed.

Suddenly you’re approached by an older kid, maybe 10 years old.
They’re carrying an AK-47.
They tell you that they’re the one who killed your parents & that you have to come with them or they will kill you too.


You’re walked to a truck and loaded up with other children your age.
They’re crying because they’ve just gone through the same thing as you.


It’s very late, maybe 4am. You’re pulled out of the truck and lined up.

They grab the child next to you & cut off their arms & legs then split them open & cut off their head.
They give no reason why they did this.
Another child starts crying; they grab them and do the same as the first.

Welcome to being a soldier in the Lord’s Resistance Army.
If you’re big enough you’re outfitted with a gun. If not you’re given a whistle and become a flesh shield.


You’re then forced to do the same as the person who killed your parents & if you resist, try to escape, you will be killed.
You see this day after day.

These are the Invisible Children.
These are the Falling Whistles.

Are you thinking this is grotesque?
Are you thinking this can’t be real?
Are you thinking this needs to be stopped?

Good, but right now you’re only one of 5000.
How many people would hear about his and just pass on saying "Someone else will take care of it."
Someone else has taken care of it, since 1987 someone else has taken care of it.
23 years.
Maybe it's time for others to stand up as well.

President Obama and his advisors are now creating the first-ever comprehensive U.S. strategy to help see LRA atrocities ended, and its content will impact the future for hundreds of thousands of people.

Your voice can help make sure the President's strategy includes the major investment of new resources and leadership needed to achieve peace by signing the pledge.

As Christians we're called to help the oppressed.
As a human we should show compassion for those weaker than us.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

God is good

Had my interview with the people who do World Race. Things went well, but even if I am not chosen to go I will praise God.


God is good.

In all things, God is good.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
Genesis 50:20

He has worked through me, not because of me but despite me.

I will praise him.

Monday, November 15, 2010

I love the intolerant.

So many people today claim tolerance; this seems to be the reoccurring theme in current world mentality. That everyone should be tolerant of everyone else’s religion. Live and let live. So everyone should be tolerant of everyone else’s beliefs. Everyone should be fully tolerant of everyone’s world view. That no one has the right to tell someone they’re wrong in their belief.

Tolerance is intolerant.

I’ve had so many “tolerant” people tell me that I’m intolerant. So tolerance is only tolerant of the tolerant, which makes them intolerant of the intolerant.

Tolerance is intolerant.

So I have been having this conversation over & over.

“Christians expect people to believe in their God and live their lifestyle, they should be more tolerant.”

Tolerance states that I can see my friend walking off a cliff, but that is their decision. I will let them walk off the cliff.

I’m all for Christians loving everyone, regardless who they are. That’s biblical.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:30-31

It doesn’t say “Love your neighbor as yourself unless they’re Muslim extremists.”
It doesn’t say “Love your neighbor as yourself unless they’re GLBT.”
It doesn’t say “Love your neighbor as yourself unless they’re religious.”
It doesn’t say “Love your neighbor as yourself unless they’re atheist.”
It doesn’t say “Love your neighbor as yourself unless they’re your enemy.”

Love states that I see anyone, my friend or my enemy; walking over a cliff that I should do everything I can to stop them. Even if that means laying down my life to show them the truth; if the only way to show them that they are going over a cliff is to jump off first, I would gladly do that.

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
John 15:13

Tolerance means you'll be liked by everyone, popular. This is the easy to go.
Love means that you'll do things that people may not like. That you may become unpopular because you love someone enough to tell them the truth.

Who loves their children more, the father who lets their children do whatever they want, even if it leads to their own destruction or the father who will discipline his children to save them from themselves?

I would rather love everyone than be tolerant of everyone.

Friday, November 12, 2010

And so it begins

I have just submitted my application for The World Race.

I know there are things that I need to do in preparation, physically & spiritually.
I am working on reading through the whole bible. Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21.
I need to go to a dentist, optometrist & doctor to make sure I’m fully ready to go wherever He leads.
Praying God would provide guidance, a clear path, and a means as He sees fit.

I am requesting that my brothers and sisters in Christ help teach me and show me discipleship and help me grow with fellowship. I know that there will be growing pains and pruning pains, but it will all be for His glory.

I would love to see fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ as in the early church. Sharing meals and the Lord’s Supper, meeting daily to pray, discuss scripture, and proclaim the glory of Christ’s name.

I ask for your prayers & support in this.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Finding the path

God works in me, not because of be but despite me. I have fought Him every step of the way, but He has not given up on me.
He saved me when I could not save myself.
He has taken allowed me to lay down my life, taken away my fear of death.
He provided me with a connection to the church, who teaches His word & can disciple me.
He has provided me with a compassionate servant’s heart.
When He said “Go” I could not bring myself to ask “Where?” but He has provided me with a path & place to go.
11 months in 11 countries, all over the world.
Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, China, Ukraine, Moldova, & Romania
I am praying I will make it through the application process, if this is where He wants me to go.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Provided with a servant's heart

I picked up this book The Right Guy for the Right Girl which has reminded me that singleness is a state that is envied. I sometimes get distracted by wanting to get married & have kids. I need to make the most of the gift God has given me now, the gift of being single. I can go anywhere and do just about anything and would only have to care for myself.

I have a want to do ministry or go do missions somewhere. I just feeling so lost as to what exactly I can do and how I can serve. I know one way to worship is to give and part of that is giving money. I just don’t want to be limited to just giving money. David Platt wrote, in Radical, the words of a friend in Sudan who said “A real brother comes to you in your time of need.” I want to give my time. I want to give everything I can.

I know that part of this is finding a church that can be my family of faith and I am so very overjoyed that I have found a church. They are such a blessing and I praise God that He has brought me to them. God is working in this church.

25 as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!” 1 Corinthians 14:25

I know that I have been out of church for a long time, and I do need to be taught how to be a true disciple of Christ. And sometimes I feel like Simon Peter, I want to pick up the sword and start swinging, but I know that’s not the way. I just hope I don’t cut off too many ears on my way to being the man God has planned for me.

God is doing great things. I just want to be part of them; as a servant.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

a prayer

Every day I want to me more and more like You.

Every day I want to show Your love to others.

Everything I do I want to it to bring glory & honor to Your name.

Give me a servant's heart.

Let me rejoice with You.

Let me be heart broken for the sick, oppressed, hungry, homeless, & widowed.

Help me be humble.

Show me what it is to be "little Christ".

amen

Thursday, November 4, 2010

I'm still a hopeless romantic

I’ve been reading D.C. Talk’s Jesus Freaks lately. The stories are so inspirational for me. To see others who are willing to give their life to spread their savior’s words.

Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian pastor & founder for voice of the martyrs, was faced with the dilemma when the communist party came into Romania. He could sit quietly and watch as they tried to suppress his savior. His wife, Sabina, said “Richard, stand up and wash away this shame from the face of Christ.”
He told her “If I speak, you will lose your husband.”
She told him, “I do not wish to have a coward for a husband.”

When I read this story I see a Godly woman who is so in love with Christ that she encouraged her husband to serving his savior. This woman faith in Christ enough that she knew what her husband should do.

I feel like this road is lonely sometimes. If I am meant to walk this road alone, I will do it joyfully. I will love every Church as family; count every Christian as a brother or sister, but I will pray that God will bring someone my direction.

Someone who I can praise God every day that I get to see them waking up next to me
Someone I can hold their hand as we grow old
Someone who I can see the love God has given them
Someone who can be my best friend
Someone I can take on dates, even if we're living in a jungle in South Africa
Someone who knows everything about me and wants to love me anyway

Monday, November 1, 2010

Arguing Semantics

Did you make the decision to open and read this blog? Were you predestined to click that link?
I know that question sounds silly, but apparently this argument between the Calvinists & the Arminians has been going on for a while.

Did God predestine us for salvation or out of freewill did God allow us to choose Him?
I’ve been thinking and reading over this question, for the first time in my life I’ve come to the end of my theological rope. I have read the cases for both sides and both sides do have good points & holes in their arguments.

I’ve been hearing a lot when it comes to predestination vs. freewill.

The idea of predestination is that everything has already been decided and that every decision was made before you were even born. It’s just all playing out in the time line. Some people approach this as “Sweet, I don’t have to try because it has all been laid out already.” If you become lazy after this point then you were predestined to do so. So this can give the illusion of freewill.

I had been trying to figure out which side to take a stand on, divulge into what I believe & why I believe it.
After wrestling with this & trying to figure out the right answer, through deductive reasoning & biblical citations the answer came to me.

Both are wrong.
Both are correct.

The reason that they are both wrong is because instead of letting the focus & glory go to God we argue semantics over the “how”.

Hands down God chose us to be His children. How he accomplished that specifically shouldn’t be our focus. Our focus should be crying out a resounding “HALLELUJAH!” and praising God for what He has done. God gave of Himself so we could be saved. Out of His need for justice & love he sent Himself to block His loved ones from His wrath.

In the end what does it mean to our salvation that we were meant to be saved or it was a choice God gave to us.

Its not the argument that since we are predestined to do something for God that we can go on cruse control or that it is by our works we are saved. A Calvinist and a Arminian should have no difference in how they believe. Calvinist should not be boastful. Arminians should not rely on their choices to get them to heaven.

I look at the Calvinist as my brother, the Arminian as my sister. They are my family in Christ. We should never cause division in this family, the body of Christ.

Embrace your brother and do not quarrel amongst yourselves.