So I had a nightmare a few nights ago that will just not leave me. I woke up from it absolutely terrified and it took me a good bit of time to get back to sleep.
To describe the dream, I first have to ask if you have seen "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade?" If you have, then do you remember in the opening scene when the one man is being forced to enter the gauntlet/test thing?
Anyway, in my dream, I was that man. Now, this doesn't sound too horrifying, but let me describe what it was that frightened me so much. In my dream, I am being forced to enter this gauntlet that no one has survived, so I am probably going to die doing it. But if I don't do it, I will be shot by the men who are forcing me to do it. And there lies the dilemma, the fact that I am going to die.
Now, again, not to frightening as we all have dreams where we experience dreams with death, but in this one, I felt a deep sense of fear that in my mind could only come from one place, which is a lack of a relationship with Christ. In my dream I was experiencing a near death experience without Christ.
Sitting here now, and thinking about this dream, I still try to figure out exactly why I had it, and the thought that comes to mind is that it was for me to catch a glimpse of what life is like without the hope and assurance of having a savior. I believe this because as you may or may not know, I am planning on entering the missions field after college, and if anything this is just motivation for reaching out to those who don't know Christ.
I can also use this as further motivation to reach out to those on my campus who don't know Christ. I only have one more year of having complete access to those at UNC and I don't want to let the chances that I have here pass me by.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Morality
I know, I know, I know, it has been over two months since I last posted, and for that I am really sorry.
Ok, now, here is what I am going to be basically ranting on.
The idea of the subjectivity of morality.
A popular train of thought that is prevalent right now is that morality, that is right and wrong, it subjective, meaning that what is right and wrong to me may not be right or wrong to you, and as a result there is no such thing as true right or wrong and as such it is wrong for us to judge others actions as they might view what they did as morally right.
Now, I am not going to try to point out how to disprove this thought. I am instead just going to put out why this idea is ridiculous.
First, I want to piggy back off a great mind, C.S. Lewis. In his masterpiece Mere Christianity, Lewis discusses what he calls the "Law of Human Nature," meaning the one moral code that is prevalent throughout every society in history. Lewis argues that morality is essentially a law that every human knows and understands yet still breaks. This is what we know as sin, but that is for another argument.
Lewis goes on to portray the thought that in the whole of human history every culture, though varied in numerous respects, has a pattern of showing the same ideals in many ways. For example, there has never been a culture that cherished those who fled in the face of battle in order to save themselves. Or there has never been a culture that has embraced and uplifted those who swindle their neighbors out of everything for their own gain. Or there has never been a culture that honored the man who was able to abduct and rape the most women. These ideals have been constant throughout history.
Secondly, on a personal level the idea of the subjectivity of morality does not work in that it is easy to say that something is subjective only when it is not affecting you. Case in point, say I am to walk up to you and take your laptop computer. You may think that this is wrong. However, if you have a subjective view of morality, and in my moral view taking things from others is a-ok, then you cannot say anything.
You may protest "You are breaking the law!" But I would like to point out that if morality is subjective, then what are these laws based on? Maybe I view the laws that we live under as being immoral. As such, according to the view of subjective morality, then why follow them if I don't like them?
You may further protest that I cannot take it because it is yours and that means that you keep it. Well then, you are just destroying your own case for subjective morality in that by trying to stop me you are imposing your morality over my morality, and that means that you think that your morality should apply to my morality, and as such you are an objective moralist.
Now, my final point and also my explanation for where this rant came from. I am in a class that is entitled "Ethics of Peace, War and Defense." In this classes discussion session, the idea came up that all morality is subjective depending on the nation and culture. Now, let me point out a few flaws with this train of thought.
First, if we are saying that morality is subjective in warfare, then why should we care to study the ethics of war in the first place? Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines ethics as "the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation." So, taking the definition of the word ethics, why study them as they have to do with morals? If morals are subjective and can mean anything to any one person, group or nation, then why should we care?
Now, taken a step further, if morals are objective, then we cannot judge actions taken by nations in warfare, meaning that war is just fair game and that we can do whatever we want. Canada is weaker than us, and in my morality it is survival of the fittest, so have at them.
My last point on this ties directly into what I said above. If we adhere to an idea of subjective morality, then we are saying that the worst atrocities in the history of humanity are ok because we have no right to pass judgment on the people who perpetrated them.
Under the idea of subjective morality, the Khmer Rouge reign of terror in Cambodia is fine because Pol Pot believed he was being moral and so who am I to impose my morals on him.
Under the idea of subjective morality, the September 11 attacks were fine because that is what the terrorists believed in and who am I to impose my morals on them.
Under the idea of subjective morality, the Holocaust was fine because the Germans felt what they were doing was moral and so who am I to impose my morals on them.
It is only with a view of objective morality that we can pass any form of judgment, and as such when ever one person who claims to be a moral subjectivist passes judgment on another, I hope you will point that out to them.
Ok, now, here is what I am going to be basically ranting on.
The idea of the subjectivity of morality.
A popular train of thought that is prevalent right now is that morality, that is right and wrong, it subjective, meaning that what is right and wrong to me may not be right or wrong to you, and as a result there is no such thing as true right or wrong and as such it is wrong for us to judge others actions as they might view what they did as morally right.
Now, I am not going to try to point out how to disprove this thought. I am instead just going to put out why this idea is ridiculous.
First, I want to piggy back off a great mind, C.S. Lewis. In his masterpiece Mere Christianity, Lewis discusses what he calls the "Law of Human Nature," meaning the one moral code that is prevalent throughout every society in history. Lewis argues that morality is essentially a law that every human knows and understands yet still breaks. This is what we know as sin, but that is for another argument.
Lewis goes on to portray the thought that in the whole of human history every culture, though varied in numerous respects, has a pattern of showing the same ideals in many ways. For example, there has never been a culture that cherished those who fled in the face of battle in order to save themselves. Or there has never been a culture that has embraced and uplifted those who swindle their neighbors out of everything for their own gain. Or there has never been a culture that honored the man who was able to abduct and rape the most women. These ideals have been constant throughout history.
Secondly, on a personal level the idea of the subjectivity of morality does not work in that it is easy to say that something is subjective only when it is not affecting you. Case in point, say I am to walk up to you and take your laptop computer. You may think that this is wrong. However, if you have a subjective view of morality, and in my moral view taking things from others is a-ok, then you cannot say anything.
You may protest "You are breaking the law!" But I would like to point out that if morality is subjective, then what are these laws based on? Maybe I view the laws that we live under as being immoral. As such, according to the view of subjective morality, then why follow them if I don't like them?
You may further protest that I cannot take it because it is yours and that means that you keep it. Well then, you are just destroying your own case for subjective morality in that by trying to stop me you are imposing your morality over my morality, and that means that you think that your morality should apply to my morality, and as such you are an objective moralist.
Now, my final point and also my explanation for where this rant came from. I am in a class that is entitled "Ethics of Peace, War and Defense." In this classes discussion session, the idea came up that all morality is subjective depending on the nation and culture. Now, let me point out a few flaws with this train of thought.
First, if we are saying that morality is subjective in warfare, then why should we care to study the ethics of war in the first place? Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines ethics as "the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation." So, taking the definition of the word ethics, why study them as they have to do with morals? If morals are subjective and can mean anything to any one person, group or nation, then why should we care?
Now, taken a step further, if morals are objective, then we cannot judge actions taken by nations in warfare, meaning that war is just fair game and that we can do whatever we want. Canada is weaker than us, and in my morality it is survival of the fittest, so have at them.
My last point on this ties directly into what I said above. If we adhere to an idea of subjective morality, then we are saying that the worst atrocities in the history of humanity are ok because we have no right to pass judgment on the people who perpetrated them.
Under the idea of subjective morality, the Khmer Rouge reign of terror in Cambodia is fine because Pol Pot believed he was being moral and so who am I to impose my morals on him.
Under the idea of subjective morality, the September 11 attacks were fine because that is what the terrorists believed in and who am I to impose my morals on them.
Under the idea of subjective morality, the Holocaust was fine because the Germans felt what they were doing was moral and so who am I to impose my morals on them.
It is only with a view of objective morality that we can pass any form of judgment, and as such when ever one person who claims to be a moral subjectivist passes judgment on another, I hope you will point that out to them.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Honduras Trip Part 4
Sunday - Day 5
On the Seventh day, God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day.
Genesis 2:2
That pretty much sums up what today was for us as we were able to sleep in, enjoy a local church service, then experience rest at the beach.
But let me first back up and cover the previous two days. Friday was a good day of work which saw us finish nearly four more rows block on the house. I honestly didn't feel much in the way of accomplishing something on Friday, mainly because of the fact that only operating the saw all day meant I wasn't able to interact with the local workers as much or truly see the fruits of my labor.
That changed that afternoon. During the afternoon all block laying ceased in favor of mixing concrete and pouring the floor. This was my first true chance to interact and develop relationships with the locals, and though there was a language barrier, we were able to develop a routine and pattern that allowed us to get our work done.
Saturday morning was the hottest time that we have experienced so far on this trip. The heat was simply oppressive. As the time drew on, it became harder and harder to even pick up the saw, let alone a brick. However, in the time of the most opposition are the best results found. Saturday morning saw us finish the four walls, then Saturday afternoon saw us finish one gable and the roof slats.
Which brings me to today.
Let me start off by just saying how much I truly love going to church in another country. This is true for two reasons. One reason is that even though I may not fully understand what is going on or being said, I know that the worship is genuine.
Secondly and more importantly, worshiping in another country serves as a reminder to me just how awesome and big God truly is. That he is loved and praised no matter where in the world is a great thing to see for it shows that we can't box God in and try to say that he "belongs to us."
The second thing that we did today was to go to the beach. While this may not sound like an act that will result in much praise, for me it truly served as a reminder of the beauty of creation and just how great the world that God has made for us is.
Sitting in the water just off the shore, looking at the mountains that ringed the Pacific Ocean inlet we were in just made me praise God all the more and led to an even greater appreciation for where I was.
Well thats all for this, but there are four more days on this trip, so we will see what God will continue to show me this week.
On the Seventh day, God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day.
Genesis 2:2
That pretty much sums up what today was for us as we were able to sleep in, enjoy a local church service, then experience rest at the beach.
But let me first back up and cover the previous two days. Friday was a good day of work which saw us finish nearly four more rows block on the house. I honestly didn't feel much in the way of accomplishing something on Friday, mainly because of the fact that only operating the saw all day meant I wasn't able to interact with the local workers as much or truly see the fruits of my labor.
That changed that afternoon. During the afternoon all block laying ceased in favor of mixing concrete and pouring the floor. This was my first true chance to interact and develop relationships with the locals, and though there was a language barrier, we were able to develop a routine and pattern that allowed us to get our work done.
Saturday morning was the hottest time that we have experienced so far on this trip. The heat was simply oppressive. As the time drew on, it became harder and harder to even pick up the saw, let alone a brick. However, in the time of the most opposition are the best results found. Saturday morning saw us finish the four walls, then Saturday afternoon saw us finish one gable and the roof slats.
Which brings me to today.
Let me start off by just saying how much I truly love going to church in another country. This is true for two reasons. One reason is that even though I may not fully understand what is going on or being said, I know that the worship is genuine.
Secondly and more importantly, worshiping in another country serves as a reminder to me just how awesome and big God truly is. That he is loved and praised no matter where in the world is a great thing to see for it shows that we can't box God in and try to say that he "belongs to us."
The second thing that we did today was to go to the beach. While this may not sound like an act that will result in much praise, for me it truly served as a reminder of the beauty of creation and just how great the world that God has made for us is.
Sitting in the water just off the shore, looking at the mountains that ringed the Pacific Ocean inlet we were in just made me praise God all the more and led to an even greater appreciation for where I was.
Well thats all for this, but there are four more days on this trip, so we will see what God will continue to show me this week.
Honduras Trip Part 3
So, after too long of a lay over between posts, here is part three.
Thursday - Day 3
So, where to start. How about the beginning? It is a very good place to start.
Wow, did I really just write that? I must be more tired than I realized. Oh well, today was our first day on the work site, and I must say that I am amazed at just how productive we were. While not quite Taylor's "one best way," it was pretty darn close.
All I can do for that is to give all the glory and honor to God. He enabled us to achieve the goals that we set for ourselves, which for today meant getting five layers of brick put down as well as getting a start on putting down a concrete floor.
My main job in getting this done involved working the block saw with my best friend, Nathan. For those of you who don't know what a block saw is, imagine a rotary saw, make the blade 14" wide, attach a two-stroke gas engine, and make it as loud as a rock concert. Oh yeah. If you need a visual, click the link. http://www.transtools.co.uk/store/images/uploads/ts-400.jpg
Anyway, our job was to use this beast of a machine to cut blocks to size. So to sum up, today I was bringing glory to God by using the biggest power tool I have ever seen. That was awesome.
As I was in Brazil and Argentina, I was constantly amazed at the poverty that is rampant in this area. Yest, just as in Argentina and Brazil, I am further overcome by the joy that they people possess. It is truly a beautiful and amazing thing.
Well that is all for now.
Thursday - Day 3
So, where to start. How about the beginning? It is a very good place to start.
Wow, did I really just write that? I must be more tired than I realized. Oh well, today was our first day on the work site, and I must say that I am amazed at just how productive we were. While not quite Taylor's "one best way," it was pretty darn close.
All I can do for that is to give all the glory and honor to God. He enabled us to achieve the goals that we set for ourselves, which for today meant getting five layers of brick put down as well as getting a start on putting down a concrete floor.
My main job in getting this done involved working the block saw with my best friend, Nathan. For those of you who don't know what a block saw is, imagine a rotary saw, make the blade 14" wide, attach a two-stroke gas engine, and make it as loud as a rock concert. Oh yeah. If you need a visual, click the link. http://www.transtools.co.uk/store/images/uploads/ts-400.jpg
Anyway, our job was to use this beast of a machine to cut blocks to size. So to sum up, today I was bringing glory to God by using the biggest power tool I have ever seen. That was awesome.
As I was in Brazil and Argentina, I was constantly amazed at the poverty that is rampant in this area. Yest, just as in Argentina and Brazil, I am further overcome by the joy that they people possess. It is truly a beautiful and amazing thing.
Well that is all for now.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Honduras Trip Part 2
Wednesday - Day 1
So, we're here. That's really the best way to describe today. I must say that I truly love the ironies of flying into the Third World. While inside the airport the nation tries to make itself appear clean and modern and economically well off, two steps outside and this illusion is instantly shattered.
Anyway, we are here. An eventful day of flying, speedily walking (not running) in the Miami airport, lunch at KFC watching Champions League soccer in Tegucigalpa, then the drive and introduction to the city of Choluteca. And all I can think is "Thank you Lord for getting us this far."
Today was the easy day, as tomorrow is when the true work starts. Tomorrow is when we start building the house, which was and is the reason that we are here in the first place.
I have prayed about this trip, and I am greatly anticipating helping another that it might lead to bringing glory to God. What I need to pray about now is that I not let the petty things get in my way and prevent me from being fully able to share the Gospel. Things such as discomfort, heat, laziness, all are things that can sideline me if I let them.
So, as we go out tomorrow, I just need to keep in mind why I am here, who I am here for, and in the end, it will result in the bringing of glory to God.
"For am I now seeking the approval of man or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." Galations 1:10
So, we're here. That's really the best way to describe today. I must say that I truly love the ironies of flying into the Third World. While inside the airport the nation tries to make itself appear clean and modern and economically well off, two steps outside and this illusion is instantly shattered.
Anyway, we are here. An eventful day of flying, speedily walking (not running) in the Miami airport, lunch at KFC watching Champions League soccer in Tegucigalpa, then the drive and introduction to the city of Choluteca. And all I can think is "Thank you Lord for getting us this far."
Today was the easy day, as tomorrow is when the true work starts. Tomorrow is when we start building the house, which was and is the reason that we are here in the first place.
I have prayed about this trip, and I am greatly anticipating helping another that it might lead to bringing glory to God. What I need to pray about now is that I not let the petty things get in my way and prevent me from being fully able to share the Gospel. Things such as discomfort, heat, laziness, all are things that can sideline me if I let them.
So, as we go out tomorrow, I just need to keep in mind why I am here, who I am here for, and in the end, it will result in the bringing of glory to God.
"For am I now seeking the approval of man or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." Galations 1:10
Friday, May 30, 2008
Back from Honduras
So, I just got back from my construction mission trip to Honduras and it was a great trip. While I was there I journaled about the trip and am now going to post them here over the next few days. Enjoy.
Pre-Trip
As we prepare to travel to Honduras, I feel that a thing that I need to do to better prepare my heart for the worship that I will be giving through the sharing of the Gospel is to compose a prayer that I will say everyday.
Lord,
I fall on my knees, humbled at the awe of your awesome presence. I praise you for all that you are and all that you have been and all that you will continue to be. Lord, I pray that your will will guide me and my actions as I strive to serve you. I pray that you will bless me and be with me in all things that my works may bring you more glory. Lord be with my friends. Allow us to make a difference in the lives of the people that we will be working with. Allow us to become discouraged in times of hardship, but instead show us the way to overcome and bring you the glory and honor. Lord I pray that you will bless us with safety in our works and that will grant us the ability to finish what it is we will be starting. Thank you Lord for the blessings that you have bestowed upon me, especially the blessing of being able to go out into the world to spread you word. Please bless us and forgive us in all we do, for it is in the name of your son Jesus that I pray,
Amen.
Pre-Trip
As we prepare to travel to Honduras, I feel that a thing that I need to do to better prepare my heart for the worship that I will be giving through the sharing of the Gospel is to compose a prayer that I will say everyday.
Lord,
I fall on my knees, humbled at the awe of your awesome presence. I praise you for all that you are and all that you have been and all that you will continue to be. Lord, I pray that your will will guide me and my actions as I strive to serve you. I pray that you will bless me and be with me in all things that my works may bring you more glory. Lord be with my friends. Allow us to make a difference in the lives of the people that we will be working with. Allow us to become discouraged in times of hardship, but instead show us the way to overcome and bring you the glory and honor. Lord I pray that you will bless us with safety in our works and that will grant us the ability to finish what it is we will be starting. Thank you Lord for the blessings that you have bestowed upon me, especially the blessing of being able to go out into the world to spread you word. Please bless us and forgive us in all we do, for it is in the name of your son Jesus that I pray,
Amen.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Breaing Cross, Will Travel
So I need to update this thing more often...
Anyway, I want to first just send a little bit of praise upwards to the Big Man and just praise Him and thank Him for the blessing that he has bestowed upon me in terms of the ability to lose weight and get healthy. I know that it was He that allowed this change to take place in my life, and I fully intend to use this blessing for the furthering of His kingdom.
This was put into perspective today when I compared three different sets of passport pictures I had, starting with the one that is on my passport (which was taken in December 06), then a set that was taken before my trip to Argentina (which were taken in February 08), then a set that were taken today for me to send to the International Missions Board. Wow, the change is so noticeable, and for me to recognize that in myself allows me to further praise God for this blessing, in that I can see just how far I have come along.
Anyway, now that that is out of the way, the main reason for this post is an announcement of missions, as the title infers. Namely, this post is my request for prayer as tomorrow I will be departing for the Central American nation of Honduras with a group of college students and adults from my home church in Moore County, NC, to build a house with the North Carolina Baptist Men.
This will be my first trip to Honduras and also my first international trip involving construction, so I am a little apprehensive about this trip, but as I wrote about earlier, that is just something that happens to me anytime I about to need my passport. However, I know that I am going to do the work of the Lord, and for that reason I am calm for I know that whatever happens to me on this trip, I am doing the will of the Lord through the Great Commission and that I am putting myself into His hands.
I ask that you all will pray for me and the rest of the team that I will be on. I ask that you will pray for the people that we will be working with in Honduras, that they will have open hearts to the Gospel as we share it with them through the construction of a house.
I will be journaling every day that I am in Honduras, so I will be sure to post those entries when I get back stateside. Until then, just pray for us as we travel and may God bless us all.
Anyway, I want to first just send a little bit of praise upwards to the Big Man and just praise Him and thank Him for the blessing that he has bestowed upon me in terms of the ability to lose weight and get healthy. I know that it was He that allowed this change to take place in my life, and I fully intend to use this blessing for the furthering of His kingdom.
This was put into perspective today when I compared three different sets of passport pictures I had, starting with the one that is on my passport (which was taken in December 06), then a set that was taken before my trip to Argentina (which were taken in February 08), then a set that were taken today for me to send to the International Missions Board. Wow, the change is so noticeable, and for me to recognize that in myself allows me to further praise God for this blessing, in that I can see just how far I have come along.
Anyway, now that that is out of the way, the main reason for this post is an announcement of missions, as the title infers. Namely, this post is my request for prayer as tomorrow I will be departing for the Central American nation of Honduras with a group of college students and adults from my home church in Moore County, NC, to build a house with the North Carolina Baptist Men.
This will be my first trip to Honduras and also my first international trip involving construction, so I am a little apprehensive about this trip, but as I wrote about earlier, that is just something that happens to me anytime I about to need my passport. However, I know that I am going to do the work of the Lord, and for that reason I am calm for I know that whatever happens to me on this trip, I am doing the will of the Lord through the Great Commission and that I am putting myself into His hands.
I ask that you all will pray for me and the rest of the team that I will be on. I ask that you will pray for the people that we will be working with in Honduras, that they will have open hearts to the Gospel as we share it with them through the construction of a house.
I will be journaling every day that I am in Honduras, so I will be sure to post those entries when I get back stateside. Until then, just pray for us as we travel and may God bless us all.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Weight of Family
So, as I have usually led off with recently, it has been too long since I posted here. But, I have a valid excuse in that I have been very busy with final exams and papers for the past 12 days, so yeah.
Anyway, I was talking to my grandfather on the phone earlier this evening, and more specifically we were talking about my aspirations to go into the missions field. Over the course of the conversation, he told me something that took me a moment to swallow and took me a while to think about.
He said to me "You are going to make the Arno name worthwhile."
Now, this took me aback in two ways. One was that I always thought that my last name was a great thing, and something that I took pride in. However, secondly and more important was the weight that was seemingly put on me with that comment, that it would be through my actions that good things would come to my family.
Now, first, let me address the first thought. I discount this in that I know it was initial reaction. I have always and will always take pride in my last name because I know what it represents to me and that is all that matters.
The second thought was that I would be responsible for my last name being brought to be more worthwhile, if there is such a way to do it. Let me point out a few things first off about my grandfather. My grandfather is a man who is very critical of many things, however he loves every one in his family and while he may say things that sound overly critical, he does not mean bad things from what he says.
So to hear him say that I can make our last name worthwhile really took me aback, for in his complement of me, he seemed to be in turn putting down the rest of the family. And I know that this is not what he meant.
Now, as to the weight that I felt from this comment, all I could think about was "What can I do that can do this? If what other members of my family have done haven't done that, then what can I do?"
All I know is that I feel pride in my last name and that I don't think that there is any need for me to make it more "worthwhile," but if my actions will make others view my family in a more favorable eye, then so be it.
Anyway, I was talking to my grandfather on the phone earlier this evening, and more specifically we were talking about my aspirations to go into the missions field. Over the course of the conversation, he told me something that took me a moment to swallow and took me a while to think about.
He said to me "You are going to make the Arno name worthwhile."
Now, this took me aback in two ways. One was that I always thought that my last name was a great thing, and something that I took pride in. However, secondly and more important was the weight that was seemingly put on me with that comment, that it would be through my actions that good things would come to my family.
Now, first, let me address the first thought. I discount this in that I know it was initial reaction. I have always and will always take pride in my last name because I know what it represents to me and that is all that matters.
The second thought was that I would be responsible for my last name being brought to be more worthwhile, if there is such a way to do it. Let me point out a few things first off about my grandfather. My grandfather is a man who is very critical of many things, however he loves every one in his family and while he may say things that sound overly critical, he does not mean bad things from what he says.
So to hear him say that I can make our last name worthwhile really took me aback, for in his complement of me, he seemed to be in turn putting down the rest of the family. And I know that this is not what he meant.
Now, as to the weight that I felt from this comment, all I could think about was "What can I do that can do this? If what other members of my family have done haven't done that, then what can I do?"
All I know is that I feel pride in my last name and that I don't think that there is any need for me to make it more "worthwhile," but if my actions will make others view my family in a more favorable eye, then so be it.
Monday, April 21, 2008
God's Blessings
It has been too long since I wrote anything new.
So, as those of you who know me or who have read my blog over the course of the year know, I have been embroiled in a battle to get healthy so that I can go overseas and better serve the Lord in missions.
Well, at the start of the year, I weighed just over 300 pounds and felt that the goal was too big to handle, that it would take forever to get down to the target weight that I needed. I felt that yes, while I would be doing this for God, it may be just a little too big for me.
And that was the first mistake that I made in the beginning of this process. I doubted the ability of God to work in my life and as a result made it more difficult for me to get started in this process. I still remember when I had hit a 10 pound loss thinking, "Wow, I have a long way to go," not "Wow, I have been blessed with this initial accomplishment."
So, now I sit here, three months later having lost 53 pounds and I am thinking "What was I thinking?" I actually had the gall to doubt the size of God, yet through this He has blessed me with the ability to go on and lose this weight.
I know that my motivation for doing this was good and for God, and as a result I know that God blessed me with the ability to do it. And that is the greatest thing about this.
____________________________________________________________________
Now, I need to share with you what the poem that I posted nearly two weeks ago means.
In my mind, this poem is rather dark because it is supposed to reflect the true nature of life without a relationship with Christ. And further, the poem is dark in the nature of my fear of others thoughts when I try to share with them my faith.
I know that I wrote about how I worked to overcome this fear while in Argentina, but I think that it is something that you can never fully overcome. There is always an uneasiness when it comes to telling others about who you are, no matter how much you have done it.
So, there you have it.
So, as those of you who know me or who have read my blog over the course of the year know, I have been embroiled in a battle to get healthy so that I can go overseas and better serve the Lord in missions.
Well, at the start of the year, I weighed just over 300 pounds and felt that the goal was too big to handle, that it would take forever to get down to the target weight that I needed. I felt that yes, while I would be doing this for God, it may be just a little too big for me.
And that was the first mistake that I made in the beginning of this process. I doubted the ability of God to work in my life and as a result made it more difficult for me to get started in this process. I still remember when I had hit a 10 pound loss thinking, "Wow, I have a long way to go," not "Wow, I have been blessed with this initial accomplishment."
So, now I sit here, three months later having lost 53 pounds and I am thinking "What was I thinking?" I actually had the gall to doubt the size of God, yet through this He has blessed me with the ability to go on and lose this weight.
I know that my motivation for doing this was good and for God, and as a result I know that God blessed me with the ability to do it. And that is the greatest thing about this.
____________________________________________________________________
Now, I need to share with you what the poem that I posted nearly two weeks ago means.
In my mind, this poem is rather dark because it is supposed to reflect the true nature of life without a relationship with Christ. And further, the poem is dark in the nature of my fear of others thoughts when I try to share with them my faith.
I know that I wrote about how I worked to overcome this fear while in Argentina, but I think that it is something that you can never fully overcome. There is always an uneasiness when it comes to telling others about who you are, no matter how much you have done it.
So, there you have it.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Poetry (I guess)
So I was just chilling and this poem-ish line kept coming to mind, and I just couldn't stop thinking about it, so I decided to use it as the starting point and then write after it and see what I came up with. I guess you could call it poetry.
Anyway, here is what it turned into:
I pray away this prison
From the living dead
The walking and talking and feeling and breathing
Who know not of their loss
For they walk in darkness
Away from the truth and light of the world
Walking in darkness
Never knowing truth except the false truth that they create
I pray away this prison
From the living dead
For it is only through me that truth might be shown
To those who are lost
Thats it. I guess the reactions that most people will have to that are varied, so I will give you time to think about it before I give out my thoughts on the meaning of the words.
Anyway, here is what it turned into:
I pray away this prison
From the living dead
The walking and talking and feeling and breathing
Who know not of their loss
For they walk in darkness
Away from the truth and light of the world
Walking in darkness
Never knowing truth except the false truth that they create
I pray away this prison
From the living dead
For it is only through me that truth might be shown
To those who are lost
Thats it. I guess the reactions that most people will have to that are varied, so I will give you time to think about it before I give out my thoughts on the meaning of the words.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Reflections on Argentina Part III
Here is the last entry in my Reflections on Argentina series.
Reflections on Argentina Part III
On one of the days in Laguna Blanca, the missionary who was translating for me and another girl (the missionaries were Bama fans, but no one is perfect) told us that we were not going door to door as a woman in the city had contacted the ministry after hearing their radio show and wanted to talk face to face. So we visited the home of this woman, who was named Laura. Laura was much more well off than most of the people in the city, but she still lived in a lower level than would be perceived as "well off" by American standards.
Any way, she (who is Argentine) and her husband (who was German) had divorced two months before and she and her son had just moved back to Argentina after living in Germany for 8 years. She told us that she was Catholic but that she had never really had a relationship with Jesus Christ (remind me later to describe to you the dominion that social Catholicism has in the region and just how difficult a barrier it is to overcome).
Well, for two hours straight, I took the lead in sharing with Laura my personal testimony in faith and how it applied to her and the Gospel. I showed her that it is through our times of struggle that God reveals to us the most awesome of things. I showed to her the awesome power and love that is found in the Gospel and that God wants for us to be loved and prospered (but not in terms of possessions, I can't stand the "prosperity gospel" idea) through His word. I showed her the way that Christ came back to save us from a live of sin if we live our live according to the word of the Gospel, as Paul so greatly outlines in Ephesians 2:1-10. I did all of this with this woman for two hours with the help of my translator and the help of my partner at times.
This was big for me in three ways. First, it was the first time that I truly participated in trying to bring another to Christ in an evangelical setting. Of course I have shared my faith with others in the past and of course I have talked to others about faith in Christ, but I had never truly attempted to bring someone to Christ through my words. Secondly, this was big for me in that this was also the first time that I took the lead in sharing the Gospel with another. This took place on the third day of our trip and we had already gone door to door for two days, but in that time I had mainly served in a role of helping out and letting the other two do most of the work, so to take the lead in this was a big undertaking for me.
However, the biggest area that this impacted me was in the area of my future being a missionary. While the above do have an impact on that, this last one is the biggest because it is something that I will face in the field for sure, and that is the fear of being ineffective. I didn't tell you the decision that Laura made until now because she at the end of the two hours was still reluctant to accept Christ as her savior and instead wanted to think about it and study the Gospel of John that we provided her.
Now, let me tell you that for me, this was disheartening at first as I had just spent two hours sharing with this woman, and I kept thinking "What else is there to do?" But then the Lord taught me my most valuable lesson from this trip, and that is to not be discourages by not being able to see immediate results. While I did not personally bring Laura to Christ at that time, I have the knowledge that my words planted the seed of knowledge of Christ and His love for her in her heart and mind, and that any decision that she makes in the future will be influenced by what I did.
That is the biggest thing that God taught me on this trip, to know that we work here on His time and that results are had in His time, which ties everything that I have written back to the first thing I wrote about this trip. I thank God everyday for allowing me the opportunity to travel to Argentina to show the people there God's love and to bring them the hope that can be found in the Gospel.
I know that you have all been praying for me while I was there and I thank you all so much for that, and now I just ask that you will continue to pray for me as I prepare for more trips to go around and spread the word of the Lord.
Reflections on Argentina Part III
On one of the days in Laguna Blanca, the missionary who was translating for me and another girl (the missionaries were Bama fans, but no one is perfect) told us that we were not going door to door as a woman in the city had contacted the ministry after hearing their radio show and wanted to talk face to face. So we visited the home of this woman, who was named Laura. Laura was much more well off than most of the people in the city, but she still lived in a lower level than would be perceived as "well off" by American standards.
Any way, she (who is Argentine) and her husband (who was German) had divorced two months before and she and her son had just moved back to Argentina after living in Germany for 8 years. She told us that she was Catholic but that she had never really had a relationship with Jesus Christ (remind me later to describe to you the dominion that social Catholicism has in the region and just how difficult a barrier it is to overcome).
Well, for two hours straight, I took the lead in sharing with Laura my personal testimony in faith and how it applied to her and the Gospel. I showed her that it is through our times of struggle that God reveals to us the most awesome of things. I showed to her the awesome power and love that is found in the Gospel and that God wants for us to be loved and prospered (but not in terms of possessions, I can't stand the "prosperity gospel" idea) through His word. I showed her the way that Christ came back to save us from a live of sin if we live our live according to the word of the Gospel, as Paul so greatly outlines in Ephesians 2:1-10. I did all of this with this woman for two hours with the help of my translator and the help of my partner at times.
This was big for me in three ways. First, it was the first time that I truly participated in trying to bring another to Christ in an evangelical setting. Of course I have shared my faith with others in the past and of course I have talked to others about faith in Christ, but I had never truly attempted to bring someone to Christ through my words. Secondly, this was big for me in that this was also the first time that I took the lead in sharing the Gospel with another. This took place on the third day of our trip and we had already gone door to door for two days, but in that time I had mainly served in a role of helping out and letting the other two do most of the work, so to take the lead in this was a big undertaking for me.
However, the biggest area that this impacted me was in the area of my future being a missionary. While the above do have an impact on that, this last one is the biggest because it is something that I will face in the field for sure, and that is the fear of being ineffective. I didn't tell you the decision that Laura made until now because she at the end of the two hours was still reluctant to accept Christ as her savior and instead wanted to think about it and study the Gospel of John that we provided her.
Now, let me tell you that for me, this was disheartening at first as I had just spent two hours sharing with this woman, and I kept thinking "What else is there to do?" But then the Lord taught me my most valuable lesson from this trip, and that is to not be discourages by not being able to see immediate results. While I did not personally bring Laura to Christ at that time, I have the knowledge that my words planted the seed of knowledge of Christ and His love for her in her heart and mind, and that any decision that she makes in the future will be influenced by what I did.
That is the biggest thing that God taught me on this trip, to know that we work here on His time and that results are had in His time, which ties everything that I have written back to the first thing I wrote about this trip. I thank God everyday for allowing me the opportunity to travel to Argentina to show the people there God's love and to bring them the hope that can be found in the Gospel.
I know that you have all been praying for me while I was there and I thank you all so much for that, and now I just ask that you will continue to pray for me as I prepare for more trips to go around and spread the word of the Lord.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Reflections on Argentina Part II
Here is the second part of my Reflections on Argentina.
Ok, enough about what the Lord taught me on this trip (though I could go on and on for hours). We flew into Asuncion, Paraguay, and then crossed the Paraguay River into the city of Clorinda, which has about 50,000 people and is located in extreme northern Argentina. We worked in Clorinda for three days, then traveled to a city 70 kilometers NW named Laguna Blanca, where we worked for two days, then traveled another 45 kilometers to a city named Espinillo, where we worked for only one day.
Each city presented its own special challenges as in each city we were reaching out to different people with different backgrounds in an attempt to open the door for the missionaries that we were working with to go back and continue to build upon the relationships that we forged in the short time that we were there. However, we were also there to do some evangelical work.
In the mornings we would go door to door in and around the cities to share about who we were, why we were there, give the people contact information of the missionaries, and pray for the people in their home. In the afternoons we would put on a Vacation Bible School style event for kids that involved games, puppets, crafts, etc. and just try to reach out to adults by reaching out to their kids.
My personal favorite thing that we did was sports ministry. I wrote earlier about this, but it is amazing just how effective of an evangelical tool that we have in a soccer ball. Within five minutes of just kicking around this ball, we had a group of about five kids there kicking with us and inviting us to go with them to play a game on the local semi-pro team's field. And while walking the two blocks to this field, the kids the entire time were inviting more kids to come play with us. And of course, when we got to the field, the 16 Argentine kids wanted to play all of them versus us 7 Americans. You can imagine how that went.
They destroyed us. It was brutal. One of the guys on our team who is a minister for the NC Baptist state convention and works at the BCM played college soccer, and even he looked like a fool. But the great thing about this was that through the game, we were able to find an avenue through which to present the Gospel, and we used it. After the first game that we played, we sat all the kids down (they were like ages 10-15) and then my roommate Josh (you may or may not remember him) and I presented the Gospel.
In the end we led them all in a prayer of acceptance of Christ, which is amazing, but at the same time we have no idea how many of the kids were earnest in their prayers. I do know, however, that at least three of the kids who prayed with us had their eyes transfixed on me and Josh the entire time that we were talking, and I pray that what we had to say had an effect on their life and that they are seeking out ways to grow in their faith.Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Reflections on Argentina
So, I know it has been a long time since I actually posted anything, but the reason for that is that the only thing that I would feel confident on posting about is my Argentina mission trip. And the reason for this delay is that I wanted to take time to effectively work through the thoughts that I had about this trip in order to better articulate my thoughts about this trip.
So, one night I sat down and for over an hour I just sat and typed about what happened on the trip. Over the next three days, I plan on posting this writing in three chunks. The first day is about what I feel that God taught me while on this trip. The second day will be about the actual events of the trip, such as where we were and what we did while out there. Lastly, the third day will be about a particular experience that I had that was very moving for me and will in the long run help shape me as I go out to share the word of the Lord.
So, that said, I hope you enjoy reading this look into my trip. Please feel free to leave feedback or if you have questions about the trip, shoot me an email or ask a question in the comments area. So, here goes.
Reflections on Argentina: Day 1
So, one night I sat down and for over an hour I just sat and typed about what happened on the trip. Over the next three days, I plan on posting this writing in three chunks. The first day is about what I feel that God taught me while on this trip. The second day will be about the actual events of the trip, such as where we were and what we did while out there. Lastly, the third day will be about a particular experience that I had that was very moving for me and will in the long run help shape me as I go out to share the word of the Lord.
So, that said, I hope you enjoy reading this look into my trip. Please feel free to leave feedback or if you have questions about the trip, shoot me an email or ask a question in the comments area. So, here goes.
Reflections on Argentina: Day 1
As to my trip to Argentina, it was truly amazing to see how God can work and is at work all around the world. One of the things that I have found here in the States is that we try almost to put a limit on the power of God in that we try to say "Okay God you can work in this area of my life but I think I've got it everywhere else" or we think that some of our problems are too big to be lifted up to God.
It kind of ties into the question of "can God make a rock to big for Him to move" in that we are trying to see just how far God can go. But the thing is that God can go as far as He sees fit, for while we may not understand exactly what it is that is taking place here on Earth and while what God has happens may not make sense to us, we shouldn't look at those opportunities as puzzling but instead realize that our world is controlled by God, who is at the same time both all-knowing and all-loving and that in the end it is His will be done, not ours.
While I know that what I just typed above may not seem like it has anything to do with my trip to Argentina, in reality for me it does because that is one of the things that God taught me and showed me on this trip as well as the beauty of the Gospel as it is seen in other cultural settings. Let me encourage you (I know you have probably already done this but still) to go out and experience worship in another cultural setting.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
The Draw of Sports
Thursday, March 13
I have always heard how sports are a good way to do cross cultural and cross language missions, but I had never really seen it in action until this trip.
What I mean by see it in action is how just going out and kicking a ball around can draw a crowd of about 12 kids in 5 minutes who are a receptive audience to the witness of Jesus Christ.
Sports are one of the few things that transcends all cultures, languages and people groups and it is simply amazing to see how each different culture, though seemingly irreconciable, can be brought together by kicking or throwing a ball.
The use of sports as a missions tool was very prevalent on this trip in that we would routinely look for opportunities to pull out our Evange-Ball soccer balls or a baseball and bat and engage these kids and show them our love for the Gospel through our love of sports.
And that is one thing about the Gospel that makes it so powerful - if you have a passion for a particular activity, you can find a way to mesh the Gospel into that activity to better share with others.
Say you have a passion for scrapbooking (I for one don't, but there are those out there who do). Through a passion for scrapbooking a person can build relationships with other scrapbookers and show them the Gospel through the way in which they lead their life.
I say all this to make this point - we shouldn't view the Gospel as a part of our life that we have to fit in with everything else. We should view the Gospel as an avenue through which our passions are fed, which allows us to better engage the people around us with the beauty and joy of the Gospel.
I will be the first to admit it, I have at times not lived my life in such a way that puts the Gospel before all else, but I know that through the acknowledgment of this shortcoming, I can learn to work on it in the future.
I have always heard how sports are a good way to do cross cultural and cross language missions, but I had never really seen it in action until this trip.
What I mean by see it in action is how just going out and kicking a ball around can draw a crowd of about 12 kids in 5 minutes who are a receptive audience to the witness of Jesus Christ.
Sports are one of the few things that transcends all cultures, languages and people groups and it is simply amazing to see how each different culture, though seemingly irreconciable, can be brought together by kicking or throwing a ball.
The use of sports as a missions tool was very prevalent on this trip in that we would routinely look for opportunities to pull out our Evange-Ball soccer balls or a baseball and bat and engage these kids and show them our love for the Gospel through our love of sports.
And that is one thing about the Gospel that makes it so powerful - if you have a passion for a particular activity, you can find a way to mesh the Gospel into that activity to better share with others.
Say you have a passion for scrapbooking (I for one don't, but there are those out there who do). Through a passion for scrapbooking a person can build relationships with other scrapbookers and show them the Gospel through the way in which they lead their life.
I say all this to make this point - we shouldn't view the Gospel as a part of our life that we have to fit in with everything else. We should view the Gospel as an avenue through which our passions are fed, which allows us to better engage the people around us with the beauty and joy of the Gospel.
I will be the first to admit it, I have at times not lived my life in such a way that puts the Gospel before all else, but I know that through the acknowledgment of this shortcoming, I can learn to work on it in the future.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Lessons From God
Wednesday, March 12
I find that sometime, even when things seem to not be going as it seems they should, it is in those moments when God shows you or has you experience something new and unique that in the long run furthers your growth as a person of faith.
Now let me point out that some of these are in fact about personal comforts, but for me and others it is definitely important to overcome a worry about physical comforts in order to further the word of God around the world.
Take this trip that I am on as an example. While the weather has been agreeable for the most part, on most days it is hot. It has been really hot. I mean like North Carolina summer hot. And as most people know, I am not a huge fan of the heat. We have a pretty spotty history in the past.
However, every day, despite being hot out. I have found myself pushing on as I do the Lord's work of sharing the Gospel with the people around me.
A second example that has occurred on this trip is another example of God showing me the ability to overcome a further physical inconvenience. When we got to the hotel on the third day in a town called Laguna Blanca, we "drew straws" with leafs to determine who slept on a mattress on a floor.
Guess who was the lucky short (or in our case long) straw...
So I have been sleeping on a mattress on the floor of our hotel room for the past two nights and have one more night to go. While at first I considered this a bad situation, I now consider it a blessing for I have come to learn on this mattress that serving God is always rewarding, not always comfortable.
And I know that this is a complaint that is rather superficial, but the last area is where I have grown the most.
The last area that I have personally grown in on this trip through God's grace has been my ability to share my faith with others. And in share my faith I didn't simply mean the casual "Yeah I'm a Christian." I mean being intentional in telling others about the beauty of the Gospel and how it works in my life.
For example, today my group had a prearranged visit with a woman, Laura, who had come to our event with her son the night before. When we first sat down, she engaged us in the usual small talk, seemingly trying to avoid the topic that she had asked us to come for.
However, after 30 minutes of chit chat, we were able to steer the conversation to the matter of the Gospel. And for the first time in the entire week, I took the lead in evangelising to an individual. This was big for me in that, as I said before, I have never had any true experiences evangelising.
So while the act alone was a big step for me, the bigger thing that I took from this experience involved a fear that I have had about me and missions in the past: that I will be ineffective. And this was confronted in this experience as after all our sharing, Laura did not feel the urge to start a relationship with Christ at that time.
At first this was rather upsetting, for I had just given two hours of my trip with this woman and she still seemed hesitant about faith. However, upon reflection, I have realized that while it is important to lead people to Christ, something that is just as important is planting the seed of faith that others can build on.
So in just these instances this trip has taught me much, about both myself and about the Gospel. It never ceases to amaze me how people in different cultures all over the world have faith and praise through worship our great and powerful God. To see that even while they may have little on this world, they take heart in the rewards that are to come through faith.
I just wish we were all that way.
I find that sometime, even when things seem to not be going as it seems they should, it is in those moments when God shows you or has you experience something new and unique that in the long run furthers your growth as a person of faith.
Now let me point out that some of these are in fact about personal comforts, but for me and others it is definitely important to overcome a worry about physical comforts in order to further the word of God around the world.
Take this trip that I am on as an example. While the weather has been agreeable for the most part, on most days it is hot. It has been really hot. I mean like North Carolina summer hot. And as most people know, I am not a huge fan of the heat. We have a pretty spotty history in the past.
However, every day, despite being hot out. I have found myself pushing on as I do the Lord's work of sharing the Gospel with the people around me.
A second example that has occurred on this trip is another example of God showing me the ability to overcome a further physical inconvenience. When we got to the hotel on the third day in a town called Laguna Blanca, we "drew straws" with leafs to determine who slept on a mattress on a floor.
Guess who was the lucky short (or in our case long) straw...
So I have been sleeping on a mattress on the floor of our hotel room for the past two nights and have one more night to go. While at first I considered this a bad situation, I now consider it a blessing for I have come to learn on this mattress that serving God is always rewarding, not always comfortable.
And I know that this is a complaint that is rather superficial, but the last area is where I have grown the most.
The last area that I have personally grown in on this trip through God's grace has been my ability to share my faith with others. And in share my faith I didn't simply mean the casual "Yeah I'm a Christian." I mean being intentional in telling others about the beauty of the Gospel and how it works in my life.
For example, today my group had a prearranged visit with a woman, Laura, who had come to our event with her son the night before. When we first sat down, she engaged us in the usual small talk, seemingly trying to avoid the topic that she had asked us to come for.
However, after 30 minutes of chit chat, we were able to steer the conversation to the matter of the Gospel. And for the first time in the entire week, I took the lead in evangelising to an individual. This was big for me in that, as I said before, I have never had any true experiences evangelising.
So while the act alone was a big step for me, the bigger thing that I took from this experience involved a fear that I have had about me and missions in the past: that I will be ineffective. And this was confronted in this experience as after all our sharing, Laura did not feel the urge to start a relationship with Christ at that time.
At first this was rather upsetting, for I had just given two hours of my trip with this woman and she still seemed hesitant about faith. However, upon reflection, I have realized that while it is important to lead people to Christ, something that is just as important is planting the seed of faith that others can build on.
So in just these instances this trip has taught me much, about both myself and about the Gospel. It never ceases to amaze me how people in different cultures all over the world have faith and praise through worship our great and powerful God. To see that even while they may have little on this world, they take heart in the rewards that are to come through faith.
I just wish we were all that way.
Monday, March 10, 2008
God's Providence
I continue to be amazed at the providence that can be found in God's presence. Even in times when you are more stressed out than imaginable, God provides.
This was displayed to me today especially, when we attempted to undertake a craft that was much more complicated that we had first imagined. The plan was to take pictures of the children that we were working with and have them build frames to put the pictures in.
Everything was running smoothly while myself and another girl took the pictures, and even making the frames went off without a hitch. It was returning the pictures and the frames to the kids that was the nightmare.
The first couple of kids can in and out without a hitch, but it was when the kids cam in and we couldn't find their pictures or their frames that the stress levels started to climb. Seeing these kids, we WE had PROMISED a framed picture, walk away with heads down or worse in tears was absolutely heart wrenching.
But this was where God came through (as He always does) and worked His magic. It was through his help that we were able to find a pack of pictures that we had forgotten about and were able to better match frames and pictures with children.
Another beautiful thing about this day occurred earlier when a friend of mine and I went out into the barrio to go door to door and share the Gospel with the people. Here, through our broken Spanish and the help of a translator, we were able to share the love of the Gospel with the people.
I could see God's providence and good grace at work here as it pertained to me exclusively (I think), because I have never truly had any evangelism experience in the past, so needless to say I was rather stressed.
But through this feeling of apprehension, I feel that the best in me came out. I was able to actively interact with the people (through translator of course, with some Spanish from me) as well as share my story of faith to demonstrate the love of God. I loved it.
It was through these stressful situations that God worked His best. He saw it fit that we should be effective, and as a result it was so.
This was displayed to me today especially, when we attempted to undertake a craft that was much more complicated that we had first imagined. The plan was to take pictures of the children that we were working with and have them build frames to put the pictures in.
Everything was running smoothly while myself and another girl took the pictures, and even making the frames went off without a hitch. It was returning the pictures and the frames to the kids that was the nightmare.
The first couple of kids can in and out without a hitch, but it was when the kids cam in and we couldn't find their pictures or their frames that the stress levels started to climb. Seeing these kids, we WE had PROMISED a framed picture, walk away with heads down or worse in tears was absolutely heart wrenching.
But this was where God came through (as He always does) and worked His magic. It was through his help that we were able to find a pack of pictures that we had forgotten about and were able to better match frames and pictures with children.
Another beautiful thing about this day occurred earlier when a friend of mine and I went out into the barrio to go door to door and share the Gospel with the people. Here, through our broken Spanish and the help of a translator, we were able to share the love of the Gospel with the people.
I could see God's providence and good grace at work here as it pertained to me exclusively (I think), because I have never truly had any evangelism experience in the past, so needless to say I was rather stressed.
But through this feeling of apprehension, I feel that the best in me came out. I was able to actively interact with the people (through translator of course, with some Spanish from me) as well as share my story of faith to demonstrate the love of God. I loved it.
It was through these stressful situations that God worked His best. He saw it fit that we should be effective, and as a result it was so.
All Encompassing Power of the Gospel
I find it amazingly humbling just how the Gospel is able to reach out to all corners of the world and touch the hearts of so many people. And the most amazing thing is seeing the Gospel at work with people who have so much less than we do, people who we would call "less fortunate than us."
Seeing the Gospel at work here in the city of Clorinda, Argentina, is simply amazing because of the situations from which many of the people that we are working with are coming from. These people have nothing. If you have heard me describe the favellas in Sao Paulo, the poverty is similar to that except in more of a suburban layout.
And in this place it is evident that the Gospel is moving. Today I went out into the city with three others, one a student, one an American translator, and one a local, and with the three of them we went around and shared the love and beauty of the Gospel. And in this, I used my story in faith to show the ability of God to have an effect in my life, which is then applied to their life.
It is simply awe inspiring! To see others who love God with all their hearts, or in some cases they may have never heard of the Gospel, and through my experiences I am able to show these people the beauty of the Gospel and how it applies to them.
And that is the beauty of the Gospel and the Great Commission which we are called to follow. That we are able to go into the world and bring the good news of the Gospel to people who have never heard it before it something that is simply amazing and brings joy to anyone who is able to go out and do it.
You hear that?
Do it.
Seeing the Gospel at work here in the city of Clorinda, Argentina, is simply amazing because of the situations from which many of the people that we are working with are coming from. These people have nothing. If you have heard me describe the favellas in Sao Paulo, the poverty is similar to that except in more of a suburban layout.
And in this place it is evident that the Gospel is moving. Today I went out into the city with three others, one a student, one an American translator, and one a local, and with the three of them we went around and shared the love and beauty of the Gospel. And in this, I used my story in faith to show the ability of God to have an effect in my life, which is then applied to their life.
It is simply awe inspiring! To see others who love God with all their hearts, or in some cases they may have never heard of the Gospel, and through my experiences I am able to show these people the beauty of the Gospel and how it applies to them.
And that is the beauty of the Gospel and the Great Commission which we are called to follow. That we are able to go into the world and bring the good news of the Gospel to people who have never heard it before it something that is simply amazing and brings joy to anyone who is able to go out and do it.
You hear that?
Do it.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Have You Ever Truly Suffered?
So, I know how in the past I have talked about suffering and how we all may think that we have gone through a time of suffering.
Well, something that I listened to put that into perspective for me. I listened to a sermon given by my pastor, JD Greear that was titled "The Silence of God." At first glance at this title, I was taken aback at the thought that God could be silent, but then it became clear what the sermon was about.
In this sermon, JD talked about how in the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ was praying to God and suffered a fate that no other living person has ever experienced, and that was a true separation from God.
The thing about this is that this distressed Christ in such a way that He almost died. Think about that.
This man suffered in such a way that He was sweating blood! A condition called hematridrosis, to sweat blood is such a rare event that it is only brought about by extreme bouts of stress, such as when a person is facing his or her own death.
Now obviously, Christ knew what He was about to endure. In fact, He pleaded with God that He might not have to undergo what he was about to have to suffer. But that is the amazing thing about Christ's death, in that He had the ability to prevent His death but did nothing to stop it.
And that shows A) how much God loves us and B) how amazing it is that God chooses to bless us with His presence.
This shows how much God loves us in that while people may turn their back on God, He will in turn never turn his back on us. No matter what we may be going through at the time, no matter how much we may have suffered, God is always going to be with us. The only way in which we will not have God with us is if we reject Him in life, leading to an eternity separated from His presence. And if just a momentary separation from God almost killed Christ, I believe that the pain and suffering that we would endure for eternity would be unimaginable.
The second point, that God chooses to bless us with His presence is evident in the fact that He allows the Sun to rise in the morning and that He allows us to awaken to see this event. God blesses us with His presence so that we might be better able to do what we were created to do, and that is to give Him honor and praise all of our days.
Well, something that I listened to put that into perspective for me. I listened to a sermon given by my pastor, JD Greear that was titled "The Silence of God." At first glance at this title, I was taken aback at the thought that God could be silent, but then it became clear what the sermon was about.
In this sermon, JD talked about how in the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ was praying to God and suffered a fate that no other living person has ever experienced, and that was a true separation from God.
The thing about this is that this distressed Christ in such a way that He almost died. Think about that.
This man suffered in such a way that He was sweating blood! A condition called hematridrosis, to sweat blood is such a rare event that it is only brought about by extreme bouts of stress, such as when a person is facing his or her own death.
Now obviously, Christ knew what He was about to endure. In fact, He pleaded with God that He might not have to undergo what he was about to have to suffer. But that is the amazing thing about Christ's death, in that He had the ability to prevent His death but did nothing to stop it.
And that shows A) how much God loves us and B) how amazing it is that God chooses to bless us with His presence.
This shows how much God loves us in that while people may turn their back on God, He will in turn never turn his back on us. No matter what we may be going through at the time, no matter how much we may have suffered, God is always going to be with us. The only way in which we will not have God with us is if we reject Him in life, leading to an eternity separated from His presence. And if just a momentary separation from God almost killed Christ, I believe that the pain and suffering that we would endure for eternity would be unimaginable.
The second point, that God chooses to bless us with His presence is evident in the fact that He allows the Sun to rise in the morning and that He allows us to awaken to see this event. God blesses us with His presence so that we might be better able to do what we were created to do, and that is to give Him honor and praise all of our days.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Inspiration
For this post, I am going to do a something a little different in that I am planning on discussing certain song lyrics that are important to me as well what these lyrics mean to me. Just a quick warning before you start reading, these are all lyrics by Christian artists, but they are what some would consider dark. So, here goes.
"I can only imagine that wrath is being held out
So there will be time for us to be redeemed
But surely wrath is not being held out
So that we may redeem ourselves"
"Wrath Upon Ourselves" by As I Lay Dying
This lyric sticks out in my mind in that it, to me, it demonstrates the true nature of our time here on the earth. In this lyric, I find the truth in that we are not on this earth in order to find our salvation in ourselves, but we are here to be redeemed by the one who is withholding wrath (God for those who don't know haha).
"This is what it took for me to see.
WHEN I AM GOD this church is unsound."
"Vices Like Vipers" by Oh, Sleeper
This lyric to me is important in that it demonstrates the difficulty that people have in recognizing that they are not the center of all that is around them for when they view themselves as such, they are out of control of their lives.
"Slipping away, it occurs to me that my cries are worthless
Acknowledging death, I no longer mourn my own loss
And begin to sing praises to the one that has me here."
"Salty Grave" by Life in Your Way.
This lyric shows me the true state in which we live, in that we must be able to acknowledge that our earthly lives will eventually end and that with that acknowledgment we will be better able to praise our Heavenly Father.
"Despite the best of maps and the bravest men
For all their mighty names and massive forms
There'll never be and has never been
A ship or fleet secure against the storms"
"Kings Upon the Main" by Thrice
This lyric is meaningful to me in that in this I see the thought that no matter what man thinks may be leading them, nothing that can be made by man will lead us to salvation.
"I am just a man with a heart and sinful hands,
I am a fallen victim,
Lord, show me the way."
"Redemption" by August Burns Red
This, the final lyric that I am going to talk about, is one of the most meaningful lyrics to me and if you notice, this is also in the description of what my blog is about. This lyric shows how I view my life and my salvation, in that I do not deserve the salvation that I have, in fact if anything I deserve to fall due to the sin that I have committed, but I know that when I accepted Christ as my Lord, I asked Him to show me the way, and I believe that He will.
"I can only imagine that wrath is being held out
So there will be time for us to be redeemed
But surely wrath is not being held out
So that we may redeem ourselves"
"Wrath Upon Ourselves" by As I Lay Dying
This lyric sticks out in my mind in that it, to me, it demonstrates the true nature of our time here on the earth. In this lyric, I find the truth in that we are not on this earth in order to find our salvation in ourselves, but we are here to be redeemed by the one who is withholding wrath (God for those who don't know haha).
"This is what it took for me to see.
WHEN I AM GOD this church is unsound."
"Vices Like Vipers" by Oh, Sleeper
This lyric to me is important in that it demonstrates the difficulty that people have in recognizing that they are not the center of all that is around them for when they view themselves as such, they are out of control of their lives.
"Slipping away, it occurs to me that my cries are worthless
Acknowledging death, I no longer mourn my own loss
And begin to sing praises to the one that has me here."
"Salty Grave" by Life in Your Way.
This lyric shows me the true state in which we live, in that we must be able to acknowledge that our earthly lives will eventually end and that with that acknowledgment we will be better able to praise our Heavenly Father.
"Despite the best of maps and the bravest men
For all their mighty names and massive forms
There'll never be and has never been
A ship or fleet secure against the storms"
"Kings Upon the Main" by Thrice
This lyric is meaningful to me in that in this I see the thought that no matter what man thinks may be leading them, nothing that can be made by man will lead us to salvation.
"I am just a man with a heart and sinful hands,
I am a fallen victim,
Lord, show me the way."
"Redemption" by August Burns Red
This, the final lyric that I am going to talk about, is one of the most meaningful lyrics to me and if you notice, this is also in the description of what my blog is about. This lyric shows how I view my life and my salvation, in that I do not deserve the salvation that I have, in fact if anything I deserve to fall due to the sin that I have committed, but I know that when I accepted Christ as my Lord, I asked Him to show me the way, and I believe that He will.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Uncertainty
Alright, so, everyone feels a bit of uncertainty when they leave their own country. I know that I certainly have felt butterflies in my stomach every time I board a flight to leave the country from RDU.
I think that this is natural, knowing that I am leaving my home, my comfort zone, my country to travel to another land for a time. I felt that way when I traveled to Brazil and I am sure that I will feel this way when I travel to Argentina, Honduras and Malaysia.
That said, it is not as if I was leaving my country for tourism. I am leaving my country with the thought that I am traveling to serve God by spreading the good news of the Gospel.
All I can think about in this is when Abram (soon to be Abraham) was commanded by God to travel from his home with his wife Sarai to a new land in Genesis 12:1-2, where the Bible says that "Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing."
Notice what that tells us? It says that when God commands us to do something, if we do it, then God will bless us so that we might be able to bless others with our works.
The other thing that I find in this verse is the amazing is the faith that Abram demonstrates. Here he is, a simple man of 75 who lives with his wife, when all of the sudden God tells him to up and move to a new land. And does Abram question this command? No, he ups and surrenders to the will of God and goes to the new land with the blessing of God.
And I know that if I travel with and in God, then I should have nothing to worry about. Not to say that things won't go wrong, but to say that I am blessed by God as I travel to do His bidding.
I think that this is natural, knowing that I am leaving my home, my comfort zone, my country to travel to another land for a time. I felt that way when I traveled to Brazil and I am sure that I will feel this way when I travel to Argentina, Honduras and Malaysia.
That said, it is not as if I was leaving my country for tourism. I am leaving my country with the thought that I am traveling to serve God by spreading the good news of the Gospel.
All I can think about in this is when Abram (soon to be Abraham) was commanded by God to travel from his home with his wife Sarai to a new land in Genesis 12:1-2, where the Bible says that "Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing."
Notice what that tells us? It says that when God commands us to do something, if we do it, then God will bless us so that we might be able to bless others with our works.
The other thing that I find in this verse is the amazing is the faith that Abram demonstrates. Here he is, a simple man of 75 who lives with his wife, when all of the sudden God tells him to up and move to a new land. And does Abram question this command? No, he ups and surrenders to the will of God and goes to the new land with the blessing of God.
And I know that if I travel with and in God, then I should have nothing to worry about. Not to say that things won't go wrong, but to say that I am blessed by God as I travel to do His bidding.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Trust
So as you may or may not know, I am currently planning on traveling to the countries of Paraguay, Argentina, Honduras and Malaysia at different times throughout this year in order to go and share the Gospel with people. This is all well and good and I know that this is what I am meant to be doing.
Then the worry starts to creep in. That little thought in the back of my mind saying "How in the world are you planning on paying for all of this? Do you have any idea how much this is going to cost?"
And then I start to worry. I think to my self, Oh man, how am I going to be able to work so that I am able to provide for the money that I need to pay for these trips?
And that I where I recognize that I am at fault in that I am worrying about something earthly and that this worry could potentially lead to me not being able to perform when I need to. In other words this worry could potentially keep me from recognizing a blessing from God.
I remember one of the sermons that JD Greear gave at church last year, where he told of his daughter would, when she wanted something would yell out in a way that would progressively become louder and faster. To this, JD sould respond "Child, calm down. Have I ever not provided you with what you have needed."
So, in this situation, I am the child basically yelling at God, "Hey, God, I kind of need to know where this money is coming from and I need to know asap." But then God is the parent, looking down on me and going "Um, Doug, have I ever not provided for you in the past?"
And so with that in mind, I need to remember that I need to be patient, to trust in God knowing that He will provide for me in His time, on His schedule, not on my schedule.
I need to just keep remembering that it is not that God applies His will specifically to me, but that I need to find a way to apply my life to God's will and that in His will He will provide for me.
Then the worry starts to creep in. That little thought in the back of my mind saying "How in the world are you planning on paying for all of this? Do you have any idea how much this is going to cost?"
And then I start to worry. I think to my self, Oh man, how am I going to be able to work so that I am able to provide for the money that I need to pay for these trips?
And that I where I recognize that I am at fault in that I am worrying about something earthly and that this worry could potentially lead to me not being able to perform when I need to. In other words this worry could potentially keep me from recognizing a blessing from God.
I remember one of the sermons that JD Greear gave at church last year, where he told of his daughter would, when she wanted something would yell out in a way that would progressively become louder and faster. To this, JD sould respond "Child, calm down. Have I ever not provided you with what you have needed."
So, in this situation, I am the child basically yelling at God, "Hey, God, I kind of need to know where this money is coming from and I need to know asap." But then God is the parent, looking down on me and going "Um, Doug, have I ever not provided for you in the past?"
And so with that in mind, I need to remember that I need to be patient, to trust in God knowing that He will provide for me in His time, on His schedule, not on my schedule.
I need to just keep remembering that it is not that God applies His will specifically to me, but that I need to find a way to apply my life to God's will and that in His will He will provide for me.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Saving Lives
So, I was watching a movie today that had a line that made me think about things. The gist of the line was that the highest calling that an individual can have is to be called to save the lives of others.
And as I heard this, all I could think about were the applications of this for me in my life, namely that I feel that I have been called to save the lives of people in a different way. That I have been called to save the eternal lives of these people.
Thinking about this, all I can feel is that there is such a way to have a secular view and a religious view of saving people. To save a person in the secular way only forestalls the inevitable death that we all face. Now, while this seems to be a very pessimistic view of saving lives and that I am saying we shouldn't save people, What I am saying is that we need to look beyond the basic lives of people.
In order to truly care for people, we need to care for them spiritually as well as physically. Basically, a new form of holistic care.
I know that I am in the future going to be the person who provides for the spiritual health of the people that I will be with. I know that as a Christian who is responding to the Great Commission, I am the one who has to go out and save the lives of people around the world.
Further, I know that in saving people, I will be saving them from a fate that is worse than anything we could imagine. I would be saving them from a live and live after death separate from God.
And that is what is exciting about responding to the call to save people. That is what makes saving people the highest calling that there is.
And as I heard this, all I could think about were the applications of this for me in my life, namely that I feel that I have been called to save the lives of people in a different way. That I have been called to save the eternal lives of these people.
Thinking about this, all I can feel is that there is such a way to have a secular view and a religious view of saving people. To save a person in the secular way only forestalls the inevitable death that we all face. Now, while this seems to be a very pessimistic view of saving lives and that I am saying we shouldn't save people, What I am saying is that we need to look beyond the basic lives of people.
In order to truly care for people, we need to care for them spiritually as well as physically. Basically, a new form of holistic care.
I know that I am in the future going to be the person who provides for the spiritual health of the people that I will be with. I know that as a Christian who is responding to the Great Commission, I am the one who has to go out and save the lives of people around the world.
Further, I know that in saving people, I will be saving them from a fate that is worse than anything we could imagine. I would be saving them from a live and live after death separate from God.
And that is what is exciting about responding to the call to save people. That is what makes saving people the highest calling that there is.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Who I Am
So, on this post, I felt like I would share something with anyone who is reading this. Basically, I felt like it would be good for me to post a short version of my personal testimony of faith.
I had to write this for my application for my summer mission trip to Honduras. It is always important to know where the person who's writings you are reading is coming from.
Anyway, enjoy.
My name is Doug Arno. I am a college student from Carthage, North Carolina, I wish to participate in this project for I am attempting to open my eyes to differing forms of missions leading up to my hopeful acceptance into the Journeyman program of the International Missions Board.
I grew up in a Christian home and always knew of the story of Jesus, how He came to earth, lived and died on the cross, and then was resurrected three days later. I first became a Christian when I was seven years old and was baptized at a church in Nashville, Tennessee, however I do not consider this to be the moment where I truly gave my heart to the Lord. I would profess my faith, tell others that I was a Christian, but upon reflection I feel that it was a faith that was not grounded in the true ways of living in Christ.
When my parents divorced when I was 14, I went through a two to three year stint where I could be called a “believing agnostic,” meaning I believed that God existed and I still participated in acts of worship and praise, but I did not believe in the god that I had been raised to believe in, the nice old “Grandfather God.” However, I feel that this time of disbelief has had a result in my life that has made me an even stronger believer in the word of God and the ultimate transforming power of the Gospel.
When I was a senior in high school, I could feel that there was something moving within me, namely that I needed something. I felt that there was something missing in me, and through various experiences, what I found was that I was missing the personal relationship that I yearned for with Jesus Christ and God. Over the course of that school year, I returned to having times of prayer, to knowing and believing and attempting to live in God.
This all culminated in July of 2005 when I traveled to New York City with my youth group for our annual summer mission trip. One of the days on the trip, my group made a detour to visit Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. While we were there, I took a seat in one of the pews, knelt my head, and began to pray. I prayed for God to have mercy on me, I prayed for God to come and be in me, I prayed for Christ to be able to reveal himself in me and my actions, I prayed for forgiveness. As I prayed, I felt a sense that I was not alone, that I was truly in the company of God. I consider this instance to be the moment where I truly became a follower of Christ and one who He would call friend.
Since that day, I have continued to grow in my understanding of faith. I left home that fall to attend school at the University of North Carolina, where I became involved in the Baptist Student Union (now Baptist Campus Ministries) on campus. Through the friendships and fellowship that I have found here, I was able to realize another great truth that God had yet to reveal to me, and that was a heart for missions.
In March of 2007, I traveled to Sao Paulo, Brazil, for a week long mission trip working with children in the slums on the eastern side of the city. It was in the time leading up to that when it was placed on my heart the call to the missions field. The current minister at the BCM, Lee Sullens, was himself a former full time missionary, and in weekly one-on-one discipleship times, he and I have worked through the confusion that has accompanied my transition in mindsets, from a very self-centric view of “what is God’s will for me?” to “how can I use my life to fit into God’s will?”
And that is my testimony in faith, how I grew up in a church, how I fell away for a short, desperate time, and how I ultimately returned to my faith in order that I might give God more honor and praise for I truly do not deserve the blessings that I have received. To close, I would like to share my two favorite Bible verses. These two I apply to my life at all times, and I feel that these will share just who I am.
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.
1st Peter 1:7
I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2
I had to write this for my application for my summer mission trip to Honduras. It is always important to know where the person who's writings you are reading is coming from.
Anyway, enjoy.
My name is Doug Arno. I am a college student from Carthage, North Carolina, I wish to participate in this project for I am attempting to open my eyes to differing forms of missions leading up to my hopeful acceptance into the Journeyman program of the International Missions Board.
I grew up in a Christian home and always knew of the story of Jesus, how He came to earth, lived and died on the cross, and then was resurrected three days later. I first became a Christian when I was seven years old and was baptized at a church in Nashville, Tennessee, however I do not consider this to be the moment where I truly gave my heart to the Lord. I would profess my faith, tell others that I was a Christian, but upon reflection I feel that it was a faith that was not grounded in the true ways of living in Christ.
When my parents divorced when I was 14, I went through a two to three year stint where I could be called a “believing agnostic,” meaning I believed that God existed and I still participated in acts of worship and praise, but I did not believe in the god that I had been raised to believe in, the nice old “Grandfather God.” However, I feel that this time of disbelief has had a result in my life that has made me an even stronger believer in the word of God and the ultimate transforming power of the Gospel.
When I was a senior in high school, I could feel that there was something moving within me, namely that I needed something. I felt that there was something missing in me, and through various experiences, what I found was that I was missing the personal relationship that I yearned for with Jesus Christ and God. Over the course of that school year, I returned to having times of prayer, to knowing and believing and attempting to live in God.
This all culminated in July of 2005 when I traveled to New York City with my youth group for our annual summer mission trip. One of the days on the trip, my group made a detour to visit Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. While we were there, I took a seat in one of the pews, knelt my head, and began to pray. I prayed for God to have mercy on me, I prayed for God to come and be in me, I prayed for Christ to be able to reveal himself in me and my actions, I prayed for forgiveness. As I prayed, I felt a sense that I was not alone, that I was truly in the company of God. I consider this instance to be the moment where I truly became a follower of Christ and one who He would call friend.
Since that day, I have continued to grow in my understanding of faith. I left home that fall to attend school at the University of North Carolina, where I became involved in the Baptist Student Union (now Baptist Campus Ministries) on campus. Through the friendships and fellowship that I have found here, I was able to realize another great truth that God had yet to reveal to me, and that was a heart for missions.
In March of 2007, I traveled to Sao Paulo, Brazil, for a week long mission trip working with children in the slums on the eastern side of the city. It was in the time leading up to that when it was placed on my heart the call to the missions field. The current minister at the BCM, Lee Sullens, was himself a former full time missionary, and in weekly one-on-one discipleship times, he and I have worked through the confusion that has accompanied my transition in mindsets, from a very self-centric view of “what is God’s will for me?” to “how can I use my life to fit into God’s will?”
And that is my testimony in faith, how I grew up in a church, how I fell away for a short, desperate time, and how I ultimately returned to my faith in order that I might give God more honor and praise for I truly do not deserve the blessings that I have received. To close, I would like to share my two favorite Bible verses. These two I apply to my life at all times, and I feel that these will share just who I am.
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.
1st Peter 1:7
I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2
Thursday, January 24, 2008
A Goal Worth Working For
So, as you and many other people undoubtedly know, I am planning on entering the mission field when I graduate college.
What most people don't know (including myself until earlier this year) is that there is a weight limit for missionaries of the International Mission Board. If you are over 30 on the BMI scale, then you are almost guaranteed to not be able to go.
If you know me, then you know that I am not the smallest person in the world. In fact, I am a pretty big guy. So this fact of course worried me because I was about 70 pounds over the limit.
Yeah, that is no bueno.
So at that time, I made a promise to myself, that in order for me to try to live my live for God's will, I need to get in shape.
I know, this sounds like a vain thing for God's purpose, but I know that by helping myself I will better be capable of doing good works for the kingdom of God.
So, in this sense, I guess what I am trying to say is that a goal that is made in God is a goal worth working for. Anything that you can achieve that helps spread the glory of God around the world is something that you are attempting to achieve that will in the long run put the glory and honor where it is meant to go.
By achieving things and finding goals that are for God, you honor God, and to honor God is to praise God, and to praise God is what we should be doing with our lives.
What most people don't know (including myself until earlier this year) is that there is a weight limit for missionaries of the International Mission Board. If you are over 30 on the BMI scale, then you are almost guaranteed to not be able to go.
If you know me, then you know that I am not the smallest person in the world. In fact, I am a pretty big guy. So this fact of course worried me because I was about 70 pounds over the limit.
Yeah, that is no bueno.
So at that time, I made a promise to myself, that in order for me to try to live my live for God's will, I need to get in shape.
I know, this sounds like a vain thing for God's purpose, but I know that by helping myself I will better be capable of doing good works for the kingdom of God.
So, in this sense, I guess what I am trying to say is that a goal that is made in God is a goal worth working for. Anything that you can achieve that helps spread the glory of God around the world is something that you are attempting to achieve that will in the long run put the glory and honor where it is meant to go.
By achieving things and finding goals that are for God, you honor God, and to honor God is to praise God, and to praise God is what we should be doing with our lives.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Jewelry
Yes, I know, jewelry is not exactly the most exciting thing to be talking about. But stay with me, because I think that this will be a good thing when it is done.
What I am talking about is seemingly commonplace sight of a cross necklace dangling around the necks of people walking down the street. Now while this may not be a bad thing, what I am afraid of is that the symbol of the death and resurrection of our Lord may become a cliche symbol of pop culture, much like the W.W.J.D. bracelet or worse, the "Jesus is my Homeboy" t-shirt.
What I fear is that this prevalence of the cross will weaken its value and image as a religious symbol and instead make it something that people think is only a piece of jewelry.
So, while I write this, I will acknowledge that I am wearing a cross necklace around my neck right now, as I have done and will continue to do in the future.
However, I should say that while I do wear a cross, I do not see it as simply a piece of jewelry. For me the cross that I wear symbolizes a public demonstration of my faith. The cross that I wear also makes me remember that I am a follower of Christ, and that I should live my live in such a way that demonstrates the love and beauty of Christ.
In other words, I use the cross that is around my neck in such a way that it helps me to show others the faith that I possess. And from showing people my faith, I am then able to better demonstrate the meaning of my faith.
What I am talking about is seemingly commonplace sight of a cross necklace dangling around the necks of people walking down the street. Now while this may not be a bad thing, what I am afraid of is that the symbol of the death and resurrection of our Lord may become a cliche symbol of pop culture, much like the W.W.J.D. bracelet or worse, the "Jesus is my Homeboy" t-shirt.
What I fear is that this prevalence of the cross will weaken its value and image as a religious symbol and instead make it something that people think is only a piece of jewelry.
So, while I write this, I will acknowledge that I am wearing a cross necklace around my neck right now, as I have done and will continue to do in the future.
However, I should say that while I do wear a cross, I do not see it as simply a piece of jewelry. For me the cross that I wear symbolizes a public demonstration of my faith. The cross that I wear also makes me remember that I am a follower of Christ, and that I should live my live in such a way that demonstrates the love and beauty of Christ.
In other words, I use the cross that is around my neck in such a way that it helps me to show others the faith that I possess. And from showing people my faith, I am then able to better demonstrate the meaning of my faith.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Disappointment
Sometimes we have to deal with disappointment. It is just a fact of life. We may have something that we want and then somehow we become disappointed.
I know disappointment. I have felt it all throughout my life in more ways that I would like to remember.
The important thing that we all need to learn to do is to be able to separate our feeling of disappointment from our true knowledge of inspiration and joy.
It is best told in Psalm 121, where the writer of the psalm praised God, saying
I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil;
He will keep your life.
The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.
Isn't that awesome? This psalm tells us that no matter what, God will be with he. Though me may suffer from time to time, we know that God will not let us stumble, He will not fall asleep on us.
The thing to remember in this case is that God will never leave us. Not only does my help come from God, but my strength and my joy comes from Him as well.
And that is all I need to know to be comforted.
I know disappointment. I have felt it all throughout my life in more ways that I would like to remember.
The important thing that we all need to learn to do is to be able to separate our feeling of disappointment from our true knowledge of inspiration and joy.
It is best told in Psalm 121, where the writer of the psalm praised God, saying
I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil;
He will keep your life.
The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.
Isn't that awesome? This psalm tells us that no matter what, God will be with he. Though me may suffer from time to time, we know that God will not let us stumble, He will not fall asleep on us.
The thing to remember in this case is that God will never leave us. Not only does my help come from God, but my strength and my joy comes from Him as well.
And that is all I need to know to be comforted.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Missions
The definition of the word missions in the dictionary is "a ministry commissioned by a religious organization to propagate its faith or carry on humanitarian work."
However, to many people, including myself, the word missions takes on a while new meaning, in that it is in this word that we find the calling for our lives.
The thing about missions, however, is that we do not have to go to another far off land to be a missionary. While that is the call of some people (including myself), it should be noted that there are just as many ways to spread the Gospel with those around you in your everyday life.
And so I think that the word missions should have a different meaning, one that is more appropriate for the lives that we as Christians should live.
I would say that the word missions should be defined as "living ones life in such a way that spreads an influence of Jesus Christ to those who have not heard of Him or have heard of Him but do not know Him."
I think that in this definition we are all able to find the motivation that it takes to to spread the Gospel to others. By living our lives in a way that reflects Christ's influence to us, we are able to better portray to others the necessity for Christ in their lives.
And that, in my opinion, is the purpose of missions, to show others their need for Christ in their lives.
However, to many people, including myself, the word missions takes on a while new meaning, in that it is in this word that we find the calling for our lives.
The thing about missions, however, is that we do not have to go to another far off land to be a missionary. While that is the call of some people (including myself), it should be noted that there are just as many ways to spread the Gospel with those around you in your everyday life.
And so I think that the word missions should have a different meaning, one that is more appropriate for the lives that we as Christians should live.
I would say that the word missions should be defined as "living ones life in such a way that spreads an influence of Jesus Christ to those who have not heard of Him or have heard of Him but do not know Him."
I think that in this definition we are all able to find the motivation that it takes to to spread the Gospel to others. By living our lives in a way that reflects Christ's influence to us, we are able to better portray to others the necessity for Christ in their lives.
And that, in my opinion, is the purpose of missions, to show others their need for Christ in their lives.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Priorities
So, I, like many of my friends, are currently stuck in that perpetual time of monetary lacking that is known as college, which isn't all that bad of a problem for most.
However, in my case, it means that I need to be especially careful when it comes to expenses and how I use my money. The reason behind that is that I am planning on going on three major international missions trips in the coming year; one to Argentina, one to Honduras, and one to Malaysia.
So, that is where the prioritizing comes into play. I know that I could say, "eh, I will worry about paying for them later, I need to live in the now." However, I know that if I truly want to serve God and His purpose, I need to sacrifice the things that I want and realize that I need to buckle down and cut back.
Like it says in Matthew, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
In other words, we should not dedicate our lives exclusively to improving our status here on the earth. We should look at what we can do with what we have to better God's kingdom.
In my case, that means not buying that cd, not going out for dinner every week, not buying that new shirt, but instead saving my resources and putting them towards the kingdom of God.
I know that while it seems daunting to put away our wants and instead trust for the reward in the future, but if we truly have a faith in our Lord, then we know that, in the words of a great lyricist, "We live in but a shadow of the real."
However, in my case, it means that I need to be especially careful when it comes to expenses and how I use my money. The reason behind that is that I am planning on going on three major international missions trips in the coming year; one to Argentina, one to Honduras, and one to Malaysia.
So, that is where the prioritizing comes into play. I know that I could say, "eh, I will worry about paying for them later, I need to live in the now." However, I know that if I truly want to serve God and His purpose, I need to sacrifice the things that I want and realize that I need to buckle down and cut back.
Like it says in Matthew, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
In other words, we should not dedicate our lives exclusively to improving our status here on the earth. We should look at what we can do with what we have to better God's kingdom.
In my case, that means not buying that cd, not going out for dinner every week, not buying that new shirt, but instead saving my resources and putting them towards the kingdom of God.
I know that while it seems daunting to put away our wants and instead trust for the reward in the future, but if we truly have a faith in our Lord, then we know that, in the words of a great lyricist, "We live in but a shadow of the real."
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Definition of Myself in Sports
Just to let whoever is reading this know, this post is not exactly in line with all the other things that I have posted.
I was thinking about the defining/major moments of my life so far, and many of the moments that I can remember are tied into sporting events. I know, it is kind of cheesy, but it is true.
The first thing that I should say is that I have been a sports fan for many years. In fact, the first sporting event that I attended was when I was three days old. My first professional baseball game came when I was three weeks old.
So basically, I was meant to be a sports fan.
The first true sports memory that I have a memory of in terms of a big event occurred when I was 7, and that was the baseball strike. I didn't understand what it was at the time, but I knew something was going on.
Probably the biggest moments that I remember are the big wins, the championships, what everyone loves.
The sporting event that I felt left me with the most satisfaction was the 2006 Stanley Cup Final. I had up to that point been a die hard Carolina Hurricanes fan for years, and to see Rod Brind'amour lift the Cup over his head in Raleigh was a moment of joy and contentment in that it was as if my investment in the team was paid back.
The only other moment that I can remember that came even close would be the 2006 Carolina win over Dook University, mainly because this was the first time I was able to rush Franklin Street.
So, sports are very important in my life.
I was thinking about the defining/major moments of my life so far, and many of the moments that I can remember are tied into sporting events. I know, it is kind of cheesy, but it is true.
The first thing that I should say is that I have been a sports fan for many years. In fact, the first sporting event that I attended was when I was three days old. My first professional baseball game came when I was three weeks old.
So basically, I was meant to be a sports fan.
The first true sports memory that I have a memory of in terms of a big event occurred when I was 7, and that was the baseball strike. I didn't understand what it was at the time, but I knew something was going on.
Probably the biggest moments that I remember are the big wins, the championships, what everyone loves.
The sporting event that I felt left me with the most satisfaction was the 2006 Stanley Cup Final. I had up to that point been a die hard Carolina Hurricanes fan for years, and to see Rod Brind'amour lift the Cup over his head in Raleigh was a moment of joy and contentment in that it was as if my investment in the team was paid back.
The only other moment that I can remember that came even close would be the 2006 Carolina win over Dook University, mainly because this was the first time I was able to rush Franklin Street.
So, sports are very important in my life.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Hero Worship
Yes, I know, not a very specific title, but I feel like that is the only way that I can describe what I am attempting to talk about in this.
There are sometimes when I feel that the life that I want is swirling around me, being lived by those who I am with and that I only wish to attain some of what they have.
One example is a friend of mine who in a previous life was a full time missionary in Southeast Asia. I look up to him, I admire him, I want to have his influence reflect in my life.
However I need to make sure that I am making this my own path and not copying my friend through some form of hero worship.
Hero worship, that term has an interesting meaning to it. It means to admire people so much that we in turn try to make our lives out to be like theirs.
So, I think about this, and with that I have to know what the appropriate things to try to be are. For example, it is ok for me to worship Jesus and God and to try to make my life more like them, but at the same time it is wrong for me to worship the lives of my friends in such a way that I make their lives the ideal with I try to copy.
Am I making sense?
I know in this it sounds like I am saying the obvious, but I must say that to some people it is not that obvious to them.
In the past I would have been one of these people. I would look at others and wish to attain all that they had, all that they were, all that they did.
However, I should say that I feel that I have slowly but surely been changing this.
While I know that it is wrong for me to wish to attain the lives of others, I know that at the same time it is ok for me to view the lives of others and to see how I can model my life in a way that is appropriate.
There are sometimes when I feel that the life that I want is swirling around me, being lived by those who I am with and that I only wish to attain some of what they have.
One example is a friend of mine who in a previous life was a full time missionary in Southeast Asia. I look up to him, I admire him, I want to have his influence reflect in my life.
However I need to make sure that I am making this my own path and not copying my friend through some form of hero worship.
Hero worship, that term has an interesting meaning to it. It means to admire people so much that we in turn try to make our lives out to be like theirs.
So, I think about this, and with that I have to know what the appropriate things to try to be are. For example, it is ok for me to worship Jesus and God and to try to make my life more like them, but at the same time it is wrong for me to worship the lives of my friends in such a way that I make their lives the ideal with I try to copy.
Am I making sense?
I know in this it sounds like I am saying the obvious, but I must say that to some people it is not that obvious to them.
In the past I would have been one of these people. I would look at others and wish to attain all that they had, all that they were, all that they did.
However, I should say that I feel that I have slowly but surely been changing this.
While I know that it is wrong for me to wish to attain the lives of others, I know that at the same time it is ok for me to view the lives of others and to see how I can model my life in a way that is appropriate.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
The New Year...
Time to go out on a limb and do the toughest thing ever, which is to decide the direction for my life in the coming 363 days.
1) Work my butt off to make money to pay for missions trips.
2) Spread the word of God through missions trips made possible by making said money.
3) Get into some better form of fitness level.
The first two are requirements of the the other two, and the last two are as well. In order to better serve God through the Great Commission, I need money. And further, in order to better serve God, I know that I must get into better shape.
And that is what I am going to try to do this year, and I know that if I truly try and truly put my mind and full efforts into these things, I will be able to fully achieve these goals.
There it is, short and sweet.
1) Work my butt off to make money to pay for missions trips.
2) Spread the word of God through missions trips made possible by making said money.
3) Get into some better form of fitness level.
The first two are requirements of the the other two, and the last two are as well. In order to better serve God through the Great Commission, I need money. And further, in order to better serve God, I know that I must get into better shape.
And that is what I am going to try to do this year, and I know that if I truly try and truly put my mind and full efforts into these things, I will be able to fully achieve these goals.
There it is, short and sweet.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
