And So It Begins...

A team of 6 from my church at school  are traveling to Nicaragua this week to build a house. I'm grateful to be able to share that our adventure started off uneventfully. We all woke up around 4:15, piled into the cars and chowed some delicious bagel sandwiches that my sister made for us. (She's the bomb.) Our first flight left on time and we arrived in Houston at around 11 am. We walked a few laps around the airport, taking the express train to each terminal in search of the best place to eat. We had a 10 hour layover, so mostly we were just looking for ways to entertain ourselves.

We eventually found a cool Texas BBQ place that had delicious pulled pork. We lunched and then resumed galavanting around the airport. Amid our stint on a moving walkway, I noticed a familiar face standing along some of the gate benches. "Hey, that's Brene Brown!" I exclaimed, and she looked up at me. "Are you Brene Brown?" I asked eagerly, as the walkway slowly moved me down the hall. I convinced my group to track back to where she was. She graciously indulged my overly-enthusiastic fan behavior by agreeing to take a picture with us, wished us well on our mission trip, and then we left her to be with her family for their vacation. It was great. She is great. If you haven't read any of her books, check out Daring Greatly because it is brilliant, and follow up with a few of her Ted Talks. You won't regret it. 

My favorite part of our meeting was when my team member, Curt, introduced himself. She thought he said "Courage." "You're name is Courage? Mine's Vulnerability." LOL. 

So, one celebrity sighting later, we sought out a remote(ish) area with a place to plug in our phones, and commenced the card games, bible studying, naps, and other time fillers. I opened up to my favorite Old Testament book. 

The proverb of today (Proverbs 13) was vastly useful as we continue to pray and prepare our hearts to be servants. "The righteous eat to their hearts' content, but the stomach of the wicked goes hungry."

In America, we are undeniably rich. We have unlimited access to food, wealth and fortune, and are ever in pursuit of personal fame. But those things are comparatively unimportant. It's imperative that we remember that going to help the poor isn't about giving material goods, including food and shelter. It's about providing lasting sustenance to the spiritually starving. We have the gift of reconciliation with God, which grants eternal life. We can experience life on earth to the fullest with Jesus walking with us, and we have hope in eternity with him. Sharing His truth and gift with the poor is what makes these sacrificial trips worth it. The spiritual high is what keeps us coming back, knowing that sharing what we have doesn't decrease the richness of knowing Christ, but instead multiplies it. 

What other gift can do that?

 Please continue to pray for safety and effectiveness for our team members, as well as for interpersonal cohesiveness and joyful attitudes, as we venture out of our comfort zones. 

 

 

Hobbies

I heard some advice recently about choosing a vocation. Three questions I was encouraged to ask were: (1) "Is it in line with God's plan?" (2) "Do I like it?" and (3) "Am I good at it?" I've noticed that these three questions are helpful in discerning decisions with temporary ramifications as well. It can be difficult to figure out God's plan sometimes and I'm not at all an expert. A few ways I've been able to figure out if something is part of God's plan for my own life are through prayer and listening for the Holy Spirit's guidance, inspiration in scripture, and something as simple (yet powerful) as looking to see if the door remains open throughout my time of prayer and processing. Obviously whatever way we end up spending our lives should be moreover enjoyable and fulfilling (aside from the everyday difficulties and annoyances of course.) We also should be skilled or talented enough in that area to where we can do a good job and make an impact in the field. 

The latter two are sometimes neglected when I see blogs about choosing a path to pursue. Really, liking something and being good at something tend to go hand in hand. The more we like something, the more we tend to practice it, and the more skilled we become. This is why I think hobbies can be important in our spiritual lives. The things we are good at, no matter how insignificant they might seem, can be used for God's purposes. 

Writing, making music and taking pictures are a few of my hobbies, and they are definitely tools that can be used by God. This blog is an obvious example. Group hobbies like sports can also be a medium through which the gospel can be shared. My church from home hosts sports and art camps where people come to refine their skills but end up getting a solid dose of Jesus as well. We can also work for God's purpose in the ways we represent ourselves. Gracious losers and humble winners in competitions are sometimes hard to come by, and we can make a statement as Christians in that way.

Below are a few ways that we can use our hobbies to impact the world for Christ. 

If you like...

• Cooking - Volunteer at a soup kitchen, host a dinner for men or women from your church, or lead prayer before a delicious home-cooked meal with your potentially non-believing friends.
• Writing - Host a blog, write about important social issues, or share your worldview through writing.
• Music - Serve as a worship leader, perform praise music in public, or write encouraging music.
• Sewing - Donate clothing for the homeless, or make pillows/quilts with encouraging messages.
• Team sports - Volunteer with at-risk kids, or work as a coach for young people, encouraging them in righteousness. You could also host a mini tournament at your church, drawing people to engage with other believers and build relationships.
• Art - Communicate sacred concepts through art work, help teach others while sharing the gospel, donate your work to your church or a christian organization to help make the area beautiful, or volunteer at a youth program, helping teach kids how to make art.
• Gardening - Donate a portion of your crop to a food pantry or soup kitchen, volunteer at a community garden, or offer to help your neighbors with theirs.
• Shopping - Donate old items to a fundraiser, host a clothing swap at your church, or sell items to raise money for an important cause.
• Running - Host a race to raise awareness or money for an important cause, or invite someone for a jog, starting a good conversation along the route.

No matter what your hobby is, it can be a great way to engage with other people in a meaningful way, sharing life with our brothers and sisters. Most hobbies can be used to directly impact the kingdom, and it's only a matter of using your brain (or sometimes combining a few brains) to come up with a way to make a difference. Our hobbies are gifts, and if we steward them well, they can be used for good in the world. Even if you're not an expert, you can make a difference!

How Much Do You Love Coffee?

In a couple days, I'll be leaving with my team to travel to Nicaragua for a mission trip. God faithfully provided the funds to go on this trip, through which I will be stretched, strengthened and ultimately used by Him for His purposes. 

Looking around at my team members as well as other members of my church who will be traveling for a similar purpose during my school's spring break, I'm floored by the missional framework through which so many young adults are living. There are a thousand excuses to why they wouldn't, "couldn't" or "shouldn't" go out among the nations to impact the world for Christ. It's so encouraging to see the faith of other believers. It's also incredibly humbling and inspiring to recognize how many people gave sacrificially of their own resources to support us as missionaries. Some of my closest friends are full-time missionaries, and the thought of raising support for a salary is daunting to an almost paralyzing degree. Yet, God provides for us through donors around the world. From that framework, it's an amazing process to be a part of, whether I'm going or whether I'm giving.

Mark 12:41-44 describes the story of the widow whose entire savings was two small coins, and she gave them both for the kingdom. Jesus praises her sacrifice, noting that quantity isn't as important as the motivation behind giving and what it means to make a financial sacrifice for God. I have been so blessed by people who have little, allowing me to see how what seem like small amounts are massively impactful for Christ's purposes. Having given from my own "lack of" in varying amounts, I know what it means when one of my peers (broke college kids) writes a check for a missionary, and how beautiful it is when "young people" fearlessly join in on a missional cause.

Sometimes I wonder why more people don't join in. But then I remember how terrifying it is to give away money, to relinquish financial "security," to eat beans and rice instead of steak for a week so someone else can eat anything at all. Then, I remember the widow from Mark 12. Her meager gift of two coins was celebrated by God, multiplied in His name. Small gifts have big implications.

Imagine a world without Starbucks. Nothing against coffee, but if every person in line at the student union waiting for an overpriced Frappuccino gave it up one day a week and donated the $5? Wow. It begs the question: Do I care about God's kingdom more than I care about coffee?

Again, nothing against java, but maybe what's worth more than a latte is the number of hearts that could be changed by someone obeying the command to "go, and make disciples of all nations."

Total Surrender

In church this past Sunday, my pastor mentioned how he noticed after some time that his prayers had become more person-centered instead of God-centered. An example he gave was the things he found himself praying for his children: safety, comfort, and stability. He contrasted that trend with what perhaps would be more biblically-sound prayers: salvation, purpose and surrender. The Psalms, he suggested, are a great model for how we should pray and what we should be praying for. One of the things he said that struck me the most was that we can get a snapshot of our hearts' desires and whether they are in-line with God's will by looking at the things we pray for on a regular basis.

Examining my own prayer life, there are two specific things that stick out, both of which having to do with the future: getting into my top choice post-graduate program and securing a specific internship. Praying for these things is a push-pull balance between what I believe God is calling me to and my own personal desires and interests, for which my motivations aren't always noble. The hardest part of trying to establish my intentions through a God-centered framework is that right now, the decision to pursue any given path isn't up to me. I'm in what seems like a never-ending waiting phase. What I am struggling to do is transition from "God, please grant ___________" prayers to "God, let your will be done." I sometimes take the cop-out with a Daniel 3:18 addendum, "But if not, you are still God." Throwing on the "your will be done" at the end of a self-centered prayer isn't the same as truly desiring God's first plan, His best, and His desires for my life. Living inside my own head, it's so hard to understand what it means to genuinely pray God's will.

Laurent Daigle's Trust in You has been frequently played on the christian radio station where I live lately, and the song hits the nail on the head when it comes to surrendering our own desires to God's. The first two lines are as convicting as the rest of the song, and wash away the rosy tint through which I sometimes view my own thoughts. "Letting go of every single dream, I lay each one down at your feet." The amount of courage it would take to live out those words is enormous, and I'm definitely not there yet. Being shaped to desire God's will in this way is a painful process, and it's terrifying to consider what it would require of me if I were to actually do what she sings. Yet, the refrain reinforces her convicting message of truth: "Your ways are always higher, your plans are always good, there's not a place where I'll go you've not already stood."

There's merit and value in trusting God that He will bring the best. What's harder is to trust Him when His best for our lives feels like the worst possible outcome. Faced with death, hardship, or even something as comparatively small as a "no" when we want a specific door to be opened, God calls us to surrender our desires to His sovereignty. My challenge for you (and me) is to pray for God's will first, even if it trumps our own plans. God is constantly working on us. All I know is Trust in You has been on repeat in my mind since the first time I heard it.

Hello, Do You Want to Hear a Song?

I always am reluctant to say that the holy spirit "told me" to do something, but over the past year I've gotten better at identifying a whisper in my conscience that undeniably isn't my own. The few times that I actually put aside my own desires and obey its requests, I've experienced God in a new way.

Today was one of those days. After church, I was playing my guitar and thinking about the CD I recorded just under a year ago. I hadn't sold all that many copies (less than half) and I was wondering if maybe it was a lost cause. After all, most door-to-door sales people I encounter have something a little more worthwhile than a college kid's musical endeavor. If someone tried to sell me a CD, I'm not sure that I'd buy it. That's when the thought crossed my mind, "Well, why don't you show them why they should buy it?" Why keep the guitar inside when I'm outside? Put a face to the voice, or rather...a voice to the face. Use your voice.

The excuses started piling up. I have homework. I have coffee plans. I have other things to do. My plans are more important than God's plans.

Ha. 

The coffee date was cancelled. I couldn't, for the life of me, focus on my Earth Science vocabulary. (Don't ask me why I'm in an earth science class, please. I don't know, either.) The song was written before I finished brushing my teeth (my favorite way to ponder an idea). I've never written (or memorized) a song that fast.

I put on my Proverbs 9:8 shirt for good luck, parked on a residential street, and began serenading anyone and everyone that opened their doors. My little ditty was covered in cheese, but folks who weren't too convinced they had a minute to listen were eager to help by the time my last chord rang. I banked a solid sum for my mission account, but the money was probably the least impactful part of this story. Going out and fundraising isn't entirely about money, and the plan that God had for my afternoon was way more about Him than my musical ability, or lackthereof. Here's why.

Non-believers heard my song: Approaching a door that denies a sale isn't much more than a waste of time. Approaching a door where a person hears a song about Christ's love for the hungry and broken, even if a CD isn't purchased, proclaims God's word. Someone hears. That matters. 

One lady asked me, "Why would you go overseas to do something like that? The whole world is suffering. You can't save the world." Her question was a common one that many don't have an answer to, but they deserve an answer. I was able to respond to her with love, kindness and truth. "Ma'am, you're absolutely right, and that breaks my heart. But love has no bounds, and if I can make in impact in the life of one person, it will change their world. Then, they can go do the same, multiplying the impact." No, I can't reach every person, but God can use every person for good. 

The saddest stories are about the people who give money but don't take the CD. They are atheists, they don't want to hear about my faith, they say. "But thanks anyway, here's $20 to build a house or whatever." I can only pray that God will send someone else to encourage them and show them that God is bigger than the ways they've been burned. Maybe one day they will know it isn't about building houses, but about building His kingdom.

Believers heard my song: I met so many amazing people in the hour and a half I was out fundraising today. People told me they were inspired, that the song made them think. One woman nodded reassuringly at her daughter (perhaps they'd had a relevant conversation shortly before I knocked) and then gave me a hug. I met someone who quit her job to follow a group of people to Florida to start up a new church, an incredible leap of faith. They were all amazing, and they inspire me. Today wasn't about money-giving, it was about life giving. My faith was strengthened today and I know it was for others too.

I heard, and listened: For me, it's not about the money. I know God will provide somehow. I know He will provide for my life, for my desires, for my future family. He is faithful in that. But He is also faithful in finishing the good works He starts, including those in my heart. I had a thousand reasons not to go out today, but in the end God was greater. He is shaping me day by day, and teaching me the value of following through with his promptings. It's a blessing and an honor to be His child, and I hope that this story inspires you to embrace the whisper of the holy spirit, constantly at work in your life.

Maybe someone wants to hear the soundtrack of your life, too.

^Yes, I actually serenaded people at their doors with that song. :)

Guard Your Heart

The proverb of the day today (chapter 4) mentions "guarding your heart." 

I have heard this phase a lot in Christian circles regarding budding relationships. Usually women/girls are the recipient of advice to "guard their hearts" against the advances of men, who aren't always clear with their intentions. The usual viewpoint is that men are sexually charged and want that sort of gratification from their partners whereas women are more emotional and crave heart-to-heart connection from men. If the relationship goes south and women have guarded their hearts, there won't be any hard feelings. Supposedly. I take issue with this viewpoint for multiple reasons, namely that sexual temptation and emotional connection are common and natural for both men and women. I do, however, feel that both men and women should guard their hearts...but not just in romantic relationships.

Proverbs 4:23 reads, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."

Many people would agree that the way a person behaves or says reflects upon their character. Yes, there are some innocent behavioral and speech habits, but generally a person who complains a lot is moreover dissatisfied with his or her life, just as someone who is obsessed with money might pursue it despite the ways they could be hurting others in the process. What flows from our mouths and actions speaks to the conditions of our hearts.

It's pretty easy to identify heart conditions that are sinful, so I won't make a list, because I sometimes find it more challenging to identify a "target" or "goal." Solomon urges us to guard ourselves against sinful attitudes so that we can allow our hearts to align with God's, allowing God to reign in us and through us. 

What does it mean to allow God to reign in your heart?

Quite simply, it means valuing what God values, desiring what God desires, and pursuing His work.

Here are a few things to get you thinking:

God values:

• Hard work, and people who labor joyfully instead of with bitterness or annoyance (Colossians, 3:23)
• Humility, when people recognize that their accomplishments are a result of God's work in their lives (Ephesians 4:2)
• Hospitality, when people are welcoming of each other and giving of themselves (Romans 12:13)

God desires:

• Praise, when people recognize that He is powerful, great and worthy (Psalm 150:1-6)
• Community, and being in a close relationship with His children and when they are in community with each other (Hebrews 10:24-25)
• Peace, when people rise above their disagreements to serve each other instead of fighting (Psalm 34:14)

God's work:

• *First and foremost, sharing the good news* (Mark 16:15)
• Healing the sick (James 5:14-16)
• Helping the poor (Proverbs 14:31)
• Comforting the brokenhearted (2 Corinthians 1:4)

The Easy Answer

Hard conversations.  I don't know about you, but I don't really like hard things...because they're hard.

I've found that a lot of times when I say something to a non-believer that is related to my faith, questions are asked, sometimes people get offended, and more often than not, I'm either left questioning myself or this whole "evangelism thing" which admittedly doesn't always seem to work out so well.

That's probably why the author in 1 Peter (Peter? Paul?) urges us to prepare our answers beforehand. "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." - 1 Peter 3:15, NIV

"Wait, so you think some dead guy just stopped being dead one day?"

"Really...you think someone got swallowed by a whale and lived? Whales eat plankton..."

"Of course I'm going to heaven, I'm a good person!"

"How can three different things (people?) all be one God?"

"You're crazy."

Well, in 2 Corinthians, Paul offers a cop-out. 

"If we are 'out of our minds,' as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right minds, it is for you. For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died." -2 Corinthians 5:13-14

Basically this says, "If you think I'm crazy, that's okay. God told me to say it. If you believe me, great! You can be saved. Either way I say what I say and I believe what I believe because I'm convinced that Christ died for us. So, yeah. There ya go. Universal answer."

It's in the bible, God said it, Paul said it, it's a valid option.

A bit of a disclaimer...

It's probably not a good idea to use this as your default response. Is it biblically valid? Yes. But is it the best answer we can give? Probably not, if you read your bible on the regular. What I've found is that exploring scripture on my own allows me to find answers to a lot of the more pressing theological questions. Knowing the answers equips me to respond in a way that directly addresses what the person asked. If they're asking from a genuine place, God is working in their hearts. Don't forfeit the opportunity to share the hope you have because you aren't prepared.

Obviously as humans we will never have all the answers. I'm not saying to memorize all the books of the bible word for word; the holy spirit has a large influence in these conversations as well. But regularly spending time in scripture builds your own understanding, and you'll find that you won't be able to stop yourself from sharing what you know with others.

So basically, I presented a cop-out easy answer to try to avoid answering hard questions with the purpose of demonstrating how the cop-out answer probably isn't the best option. But, it's nice to know that Paul "gets us," right?