Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Fellowship Bible Guatemala Trip - Day 5


Back at Las Vistas today – what a blessing that was.  I love the kids and the staff at that school.  We got there around 9 in the morning and visited the classrooms.  I was able to (as always) get the kids a little rowdy by being silly and just having fun with them and the teachers.  It was great to see the kids again – like Ludsvin (our sponsored child), Fernando (I always say I am Fernando and he is me), and many of the other kids.

Our project was to continue working on the wall that the team from Riverside began in February.  I think they will be amazed when they see the pictures.  The wall has been completed – the sidewalk has been put in, and the team today painted the wall.  We are also in the process of leveling the ground, planting bushes, flowers and trees, and will be putting stones on the playground for the kids by the end of the week.

A special event today was something that happened with Ludsvin.  Three different times he left his classroom to give me a paper (and a pencil) that said, “Te amo Padrino Kent  de:Ludsvin”.  We have sponsored Ludsvin since 2009, and for the first time he called me “Padrino” in February.  Padrino is the term the kids use to talk about their sponsor.  It is a term of endearment.  It is a joy to see him smile when he sees me now.  I look forward to him seeing Harrison and Dee again.  I hope it is soon.

In the afternoon we went on house visits.  What a joy it was to see the kid’s families and homes.  The children that we visited today (and we will be visiting more tomorrow and Friday) are sponsored by the team members and the members of their church.  Anyway, as we visited the kids, we brought with us “canastas” or baskets of food and utensils for the home.  The people were very thankful.  One parent even gave Phil a parrot.  I would have loved to be at his home when Jen saw him – I’ll bet she is loving having a squawky bird in their home.

Tomorrow is more of the same – the group is doing well and they are loving the kids well.  Many on the team are dealing with sickness – nothing major, but it is a distraction.  We are praying for healing and health.  All 4 kids we visited today were sick – that really doesn’t help our case in staying healthy.

Enough for tonight – tomorrow is another day to serve God.  I am really blessed to have the privilege to do what I do.  I miss being home, but I know that God has me here now for a reason.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Fellowship Bible Church Guatemala Trip - Day 1 - 4


Yeah, I can’t believe it, we have been here in Guatemala for 4 days, and I have not taken a moment to jot down my thoughts.  We have been busy but I finally have a few minutes to write down some thoughts.
We arrived in Guatemala on Saturday and headed to Panajachel for the evening.  We stayed at a little “Christian Resort” place right near the lake. The facility was nice and the team got settled in for the night.  We were a bed short, so I had the privilege of sleeping on the couch.  It really wasn’t bad except I didn’t have a blanket.  It got a little cool in the evening, but it wasn’t too bad.

Sunday morning I awoke early and opened the curtains and wouldn’t you know – there was a pheasant right outside.  I took some pictures – it really was cool.  We ate breakfast and headed across the lake to San Pedro for church.  The water was smooth so the ride was quick.  We made it to the Getsemani Church by 9 and the service began shortly after. (I did take some time before the service to check out the hole the Navigator’s team dug – it was much deeper and larger.  UNBELIEVABLE).  During the service, 2 young ladies got up to sing – one was blind.  It was a lesson on faith as I watched the blind young lady follow the lead of the other girl without question – even when she returned to her seat, she did not check to see if a chair was there, she just sat down.  Oh that I would have that kind of faith in my Savior. 

The rest of the day was filled with shopping, heading back across the lake, riding on the zip line again, and driving back to Guatemala City.  This is a difficult way to begin a trip, because it almost feels like a vacation.  However, with the things we have coming up this week, it probably is a good idea.

Monday started with devotions in the book of Romans.  We tried to combine the first 2 days devotionals together, but it didn’t happen because we didn’t have enough time.  After devotions we headed off to Verbana to work.  We had 4 rooms to paint 2 colors – yellow and purple.  About halfway through the day, I was wondering if we were going to finish in 2 days, but everyone seemed to be doing the work, so it went rather quickly.  When the kids were out of class, we stopped and played with them.  The team is really enjoying seeing the kids and playing with them.  Ron began to feel ill early in the day and spent most of the day in the van sleeping.  We all prayed that he would feel better on Tuesday – thank God he did feel better Tuesday morning.    Monday evening we sat around and talked, I was rather tired, because I really had not slept well since Thursday night, but Monday night I got a good nights rest!

Tuesday was more of the same, but we also had visits with 12 kids from various child care centers.  Fellowship Bible Church has a number of kids that the sponsor (or church members sponsor) so when the team comes they visit with all of the children. What a wonderful time playing with the kids, talking with them, encouraging them, telling them about their sponsors.  It was a blessing as always.

We finished the day by giving t-shirts to the maintenance crew and playing soccer with them.   They are a great group of guys – what a joy it was to spend some time with them.

Tonight some of the group has gone to a Bible study while others are resting here at Thelmas.  Tomorrow we begin working at Las Vistas – and I get to see Ludsvin again.  Praise the Lord.  For now, it is time to rest.

By the way, Dee had a difficult time at work today – I do wonder what God is doing – I pray that He will speak clearly to her and that we will know what the next step is.  I miss her now and do wish that I could be with her because of the struggles she is going through right now.  It is not a surprise to God – we can rest in that.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

How "stable" are you?

I saw this picture this morning and it made me think of my grandfather.  Now I will not say that I agree with his thinking, but it was funny.  He was a mechanic, and he used to say, "They ought to make 3 turn signals on the car for women.  Left, Right, and "I am not sure where I am going"."

When he said it, he usually got a laugh (depending, of course, who his audience was).  But he did have a point.  Have you ever followed a driver that did not know where they were going?  They look like they are turning left and then it looks like they are turning right.  They slow down and then speed up.  The move into one lane only to move back into the original lane.  They are lost - or at best - indecisive about where they are going.

James tells us that "the double minded man is unstable in all his ways."  What does he mean by this? 

As a follower of Christ, it is my desire (or at least it should be) to pursue the passions, the direction, the will of Christ.  It should be His directives alone that I follow - my own personal goals, ambitions, desires, etc. should never be taken into account.  It is all about Him.  Jesus, as recorded by Luke, reminds his disciples that they do not "thank" a servant for doing what is commanded of him, but rather expect (even after the servant spent a long day working in the field) the servant to come in, make dinner for the master, and care for him first.  How silly, Jesus implies, it would be for the master to serve the servant dinner first.  The servant thinks only of the needs of the master - not the master the needs of the servant.

Putting these two thoughts together makes me wonder about the church today, about my life today.  Why is there such weakness in the body?  Why does it seem like God is not moving to the extent that He could move?  Why is the world not being changed to the capacity it could for the Kingdom?

I think the answer lies in the connection of these two thoughts.  At least as I evaluate my life this is the conclusion I draw.  If a double minded man is unstable, then he cannot make a very strong impact.  If I am teetering between my objective as a servant and my desire to be the boss, my mind is not set.  I want my way, but I want to serve God.  I want my pleasure, but I want God to be pleased.  I want my goals, but I want my life to produce what He wants.  I want to be secure, but I want to trust God.  I want to be safe, but I want to risk all for the Kingdom.

This makes me think of my son holding on to the rope at the top of the cliff.  We were at a lake and were using a rope swing to swing out over the water and jump in.  He wanted so badly to enjoy the fun of swinging on the rope, but was enjoying too much the safety of standing on the ground.  Eventually he took the swing, but initially he was anything but "stable minded".

The Church cannot teeter between God's passions and our own.  The Body cannot decide between following God and following our own logic.  We must decide, individually and corporately, that we are either servants of the King, subject to His every whim, or we are masters of our own lives.  This is the decision, and it must be made.

Either way, a stable mind will follow.  One that leads to death, and the other that leads to life, yes, but at least the mind will be stable and effective in moving forward.  If we want to change the world, either for our own interests or God's, we MUST decide. 

I MUST DECIDE.

Monday, April 16, 2012

So I'm on a diet...

That's right, Dee has begun a new "health care program" so that means I am on a diet.  Actually, I have enjoyed the program and have seen excellent results.  I can almost see my clear six-pack again, and I am hoping to get a little more lean (and mean) as I continue the program.

Dee is my "life coach", as Advocare calls them, which basically means she tells me what I should and should not eat (or can and cannot eat).  She tells me when to take the supplements that Advocare recommends as well.

What I find interesting as I talk with people about a "diet" is that people always want to know what my "cheat day" is, or if I "cheat" on my diet.  Occasionally my family (even Dee) will say, "It's okay, yeah, that's not on your diet, but it's just a little thing" or "you can treat yourself to something special because you have done so well", or other things to the same effect.

The question is - if I really want to "change my shape" and get more healthy, who loses when I "cheat"?  If I am going to do the work to get the body that I want to have - meaning I sacrifice foods that I love for a period of time, work out to build the muscle mass I desire, etc - why would I want to "cheat" if it doesn't help me in my goal?

This has got me thinking about sin in my life.  It is my desire to be holy.  The desire is not as urgent as I would like, but it is ever growing. (Just like my desire to "get in shape" wasn't a burning desire until I began to see the results of the sacrifices and work I was doing.  Now I am more willing to do the work.)  I know that my ultimate righteousness is found in Jesus completed work on the cross, but my own sanctification process is still just that - a process.

Why would I want to "cheat" on my desire for holiness by allowing myself to "dabble" in things that will not produce the results I want?  Do I long for them?  Yeah, just like I long for macaroni and cheese, but I know making the sacrifice now will make it easier later.  Just like my appetite for certain foods has changed (I don't mind eating Romaine lettuce anymore - even though I tell Dee she is making me eat grass.) as I walk away from opportunities to sin, my passion, yearning, desire, etc for those things will diminish as well.

One would be a fool to expect to lose all of their target weight and gain all of the desired muscle in the first day of their diet, nor should  a follower of Christ expect to be "holy" as soon as they begin the path toward Christ.  It is a process.  It requires daily, even moment by moment discipline.  And it can be done.

Work now, and you will see the results later.  Cheat now, and you will see the results of that as well.

Friday, April 13, 2012

If the body is the temple...

What would you think of a person who evaluated a church only on the basis of it's building and grounds?  Could you imagine asking someone, "why do you go to _________ church?" and their reply, "Because the building looks great from the street".  How would you respond?  Going to a church because it looks good on the outside may be a good reason to go visit a church, but for that to be the only reason one might stay, that would be ludicrous. 

The Bible tells us that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and the question for today is, how does that play out in my day to day life?

Think about this...

Church A - This church is focused on their image in the community.  They spend many hours each week preening bushes, planting flowers, pulling weeds, mowing the lawn, cleaning the parking lot, painting the building, washing the windows, removing spiderwebs, emptying gutters, etc.  From the street and from the parking lot all around the building this facility is spotless.  They have even gone so far as to collect the trash all around the building and even from their neighbors and they store it in the basement of the church.  They don't want any signs of refuse anywhere near this building.  As you walk into the church the overwhelming stench of the trash that has been stored in the basement for all of these years almost causes you to vomit.  The main sanctuary is littered with bulletins from years before and the carpet and drapes are worn and old.  The windows are tinted with the grime of years of neglect. Flies swarm around you as you make your way up to the first row and on to the platform.  As you make your way all the way to the baptismal, a distinguishing odor is protruding from the water that obviously has not been drained in many years.

Church B - This church is focused on it's comfort for those who attend.  They spend much of their time evaluating the paths to and from the sanctuary, attempting to diminish the amount of time it takes to get from the parking lot to the sanctuary and back again.  Everything is very structured and organized.  Signs are everywhere helping you get back to your car and out of the parking lot quickly.  The sanctuary boasts of recliners for everyone with multiple large screens to increase the viewing area.  The sound system is the best in the business with pinpoint sound at virtually every place in the sanctuary.  Lighting? Let's just say that you have never seen a place like this that had no shadows anywhere, but the lighting was not overwhelming bright.  The place is immaculate and extremely comfortable inside.  The outside of the building is very practical and neat. Organized parking.  Structured ebs and flows described in the painted markings on the pavement make entering and exiting simple.  Not an incredibly beautiful place, but very nice and efficient.

Church C - They are all about the "worship".  From the outside, the building is a warehouse and that is exactly what it looks like.  They have asphalt to the base of the building on every side.  It is basically a box with large glass doors around it to allow for massive groups of influx and outflow.  When you enter, everything points to the sanctuary.  You enter the sanctuary and the seats are immaculate.  They are covered with plastic so they do not get messed up.  The carpet on the floor is a bright purple that just screams "royalty" and it too is covered by plastic on all of the traffic areas and between the pews.  Weekly they remove the plastic for their time of  "worship", but immediately recover it to maintain it's beauty.  At the front is a large pulpit and a beautiful stage.  Obviously their services have a large choir and it includes various styles of music since behind the pulpit is a massive choir loft and an orchestra pit including a variety of instruments.  Nearly 2 hours each week are spent in this auditorium singing and playing music.  This church knows how to "worship.

Church D - This church is about God.  They have an understanding that the facility they meet in is exactly that - a building.  It is not the "house of God", but rather a place of collection for the people of God.  Because of that, they spend time each week making sure that the outside of the facility is clean and structured.  They make sure that pathways to and from the church are clear and easily accessible for those coming to attend.  They wonder what God Himself might think if He were to visit in human form on any day of the week, and then they prepare the building for His arrival.  Inside the sanctuary is a modest, but intentional sanctuary.  The pews are clean, the windows washed.  The carpet is worn but not to the point of replacement yet.  The pulpit on the stage is obviously the main focus and the front of the sanctuary is open for peoples responses to the Gospel.  The whole place looks like it is used daily, even multiple times a day, for true worship and praise.  Their is nothing overwhelmingly interesting about the interior, except for the welcome signs that invite people to worship seem to be everywhere. As a matter of fact, it seems that they are actually calling God to visit with the people, not the people to visit with God.  Kind of like a pauper going before the King seeking audience with Him, asking for His attendance with humility and expectation.

As I think about this, the question for me is, what would these "churches" look like in human form if in fact we are the "temple" of God?  How does my temple reflect the "church" that I want to represent in this world?  How often do I evaluate the "external" temple of others and miss the more significant "internal" issues that really make the temple beautiful?

Just my thought for today.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

A "foolish" missionary??

Imagine if you would a missionary, who is planning to go to another country for 1 year, preparing for his journey.  He takes time to focus on his purpose.  He evaluates the items necessary to be taken to complete his task.  He makes all of the preparations and heads off to the field.

Fast forward a few hours, and see what happens...

He began language school to better communicate.
He explores the culture to understand them better.
He studies their religious patterns.
He visits their homes to get a feel for their "normal".
He pours time and energy into learning the people.

Fast forward a few more days...

He has opened a bank account to begin putting money aside for the future.
He has purchased a piece of property to build a new home.
He studies the idols of the culture.
He has begun to look for a spouse which takes up much of his time.
He has contemplated the legal changes that need to be made to help the people.

Fast forward a few weeks...

His bank account has reached a year's salary for the average national.
The foundation for his house has been laid, and he began working on the first floor.
He is collecting idols of the people and storing them in his apartment.
He is "courting" a local woman who has strong ties to the community.
He is running for a government office to influence the law making process.

Fast forward a few months...

His bank account equals five years salary for the average national.
The first floor of the home is finished and he is working on the second floor.
The idols have been moved to the first floor of his home and fit rather nicely in their places.
He married the woman and is building strong relationships with the family.
He was elected as Mayor of the local town and has begun talking with other officials.

Time to go home arrives...  He is not ready to leave, but he must.  He has no choice, after all, this is not his home.  Imagine the difficulty of leaving.  Imagine the confusion of the people.  Imagine the disruption this would be for everyone involved.  This was one foolish missionary.

The Christian musical group, Building 429, puts out a song that I believe would be a great mantra for all those who claim the name of Christ.  It is a motto that if this "missionary" would have kept ever before him would have made him more effective in the country he was serving, would have made him more focused in his ministry, and would have created vision for the people he was working with.  It goes like this...

All i know is I'm not home yet
this is not where I belong
take this world and give me Jesus
this is not where I belong.

"Where I Belong" by Building 429 | from the album Listen To The Sound