"Good News"

Michael Spenser: Church ministry (including youth ministries) that “offers a false hope in things like ‘getting serious about pleasing God,’ …is a waste of your time. If all you’re doing is trying to make kids behave, make good choices and buy into the church as a place to hang out. Then by all means, get another job. Or be honest and just say you’re a moralistic therapeutic babysitter carrying out the wishes of the church to not have any kids make bad decisions.

I’d really like to apologize to anyone- and there are a lot of these people- who ever showed up at church and heard the ‘good news’ that if they would take their talent and use it for the Lord, they’d be blessed. Or if they surrender their all to Jesus, they’ll be happy no matter what happens. Or if they will stop making excuses and get serious about following Jesus, they can please God.

Really, I apologize. We’ve got better news than that.

We’ve got the news that if everything sucks, asteroids hit the earth, you die, the economy tanks, no one at work likes you, Christians are jailed, your computer breaks and your kid turns out to be a lawyer, you still can’t stop the Good News of what God has done for you.

We’ve got the news that God has declared religion out of business. We’ve got the news that the church has nothing to offer or say except the Gospel, so that should simplify your search for a church. We’ve got the news that at the end of the world, there’s going to be a party for you and me, where we’re going to be embraced, loved and taken to the new heaven and the new earth completely on the free grace of God in Jesus.”

Sri Lanka

I am flying to the island country of Sri Lanka today. I have always had a fascination with God's glorious creation seen on islands, only I have yet to experience it in person. This will be my first time ever on an island! I am looking forward to a refreshing time of fellowship with friends there, and praising God for His glory seen as the maker of every living thing! The beaches, fresh fruit, Sri Lankan food, more exposure to cultures much different than mine, and a glimpse into what the Lord is doing there. The country just ended their 30 year civil war and there is also many displaced people and poverty. I can imagine it will be another place of many paradoxes.

I think I will miss more than I can list or even explain about India, but some of the things that come to mind are: bright colors and fabrics, fresh Naan, authentic chai, THE PEOPLE that were once strangers, but now FRIENDS, and serving with PMI! Time here has really inspired me to live out what I learned when I return. Although, leaving Delhi is bitter sweet, and I know I will enjoy the time in SL; I am really looking forward to returning to the U.S. in a week!

Noon-Time

Today I woke up to a day not as warm as those prior. I was able to do my hair and get ready for the day without sweat running down my face, so that was a delight. This morning the staff met for chai and we sang a worship song about gathering together to praise the name of God. After that, we continued our study in Song of Solomon. Today we read through chapter four, which is the chapter where Solomon admires his brides beauty. Before noon I got to prepare for english class; today we are going to have the students do short presentations about their families. The second half of the class we will put everyone in pairs and have them write a skit about a father and a son. I am looking forward to seeing what they come up with. I am also looking forward to talking more with the Iranian student about Christian suffering. He is wanting to learn more about Christianity and how Christians respond to suffering.

After preparing for the english class I have THREE hours to spare (this has not happend since I have been here), so I walked back to the apartment. On the way there I bought some bananas for ten Rupees from the neighborhood fruit vendor. When I got to the apartment, I spread some peanut butter on a piece of toast, cut up a banana and put it on top of the peanut butter, poured a glass of pineapple juice, and called it lunch. Here I sit. I notice that it is easy for me to transition and call new places home. I have had many homes, not all at once, but I have moved many times. Even when I go camping, I can easily make my campsite my home. It is a blessing to have a place to sit, rest, and re-energize! A place to think, gather thoughts, read, and pray. A place that is quiet, away from distractions, where solitude can be found. I look forward to the ultimate home where eternity will be spent, and I wonder what it will be like? Will I need solitude in heaven, or is solitude needed only because there is sin on earth? I can't imagine wanting to be alone if there is no sin that seperates me from all of God's children. I think I would always want to be with my brothers and sisters, who are made complete. I think I would wnat to be with them; worshiping our Lord, being happy in Him together, and rejoicing forever.

...That time will come, as of now I am Thankful for this quiet time I have been given today!

One of the Seven Wonders of the World

Eight passenger rental car, driver that doesn’t speak English, crazy driving, off-roading due to 1-Traffic or 2-closed roads, green fields, beautiful trees, many peacocks, and goats were seen out car windows as we drove on dirt roads, overcast sky, driving on the wrong side of the road against traffic, “country people”, street vendors, a stop for chai, crossed state lines into Agre, horse rickshaw ride for the last kilometer of our five hour journey to our day's destination: The Taj Mahal. After going through security we walked through a beautiful arch way only for the Verizon to unveil the Taj Mahal, as we walked closer. I had never seen a building so beautiful before: the symmetry was breath-taking, marble covered the floors and walls. As I stood there I asked the others to pinch me, “Is this real?”

Humans are created in the image of God and can also express some of that creativity that ultimately glorifies Him, although it is not seen that way by many. Unfortunately, many beautiful things become big distractions, called idols. Through these big eyes of mine, and I say big, because God gave me big eyes; by His grace I see it this way: Seeing beauty in created things brings my praise not to the created things themselves, but to my creator in heaven, who holds the most creativity of all. Seeing a place so beautiful and walking barefoot made me look forward to heaven all the more. Gates made with pearl and streets with gold so pure that it is translucent. No sin that separates, and forever in the presence of the King most High. The Taj Mahal in structure and beauty is the closet to heaven that the unbelievers that surrounded us in crowds there will ever see, unless God changes their hearts. Why did He change my heart? He is so gracious and the way I can answer that is because He wanted to, because He loves me, and because He wants His glory to be seen. It is such a privilege to be used by God!

P.S. I guess it wasn't my time to go to heaven yet, because with all the craziness, I made it back to Delhi safely!

Solitude

“Modern civilization is so complex as to make the devotional life all but impossible. It wears us out by multiplying distractions, and beats us down by destroying our solitude, where otherwise we might drink and renew our strength before going out to face the world again." A.W. Tozer

Church in Delhi

...I will write about this soon, too! :D

CBC Retreat

For the Guys:
1. Live above his age
2. Set a christ like example
3. Love people selflessly
4. Faithful
5. Walks in purity
6. Gracious and Edifying in speech
7. Be a man who lives a righteous life style
"Love without sacrifice is deception, love with sacrifice is devotion." -G

For the Ladies:
[1 Timothy 5:3-16]
1. Focused on God and not filled with Anxiety (v. 5)
2. Self-controlled and not pleasure seeking (v. 6)
3. Pure, not promiscuous (v. 9)
4. Known for good works and not worldliness (v. 10)
5. Focus on building a home not a career (v. 10)
6. Servant heart not self-centered (v. 10)
7. Passionate for Christ more than marriage (v. 11-12)
8. Diligent and not lazy (v. 13)
9. Wise in speech not gossippy (v. 13)

Delhi

Here is a list of some of what it is like to be here… I plan to add to it as the days unfold!

Marble everywhere; floors and stairs. Overwhelming smells. Rickshaw. Auto Rickshaw. Beggars grabbing passangers ankles while at a stop light on a Rickshaw. Open meat markets, with more flies in the air than a person can count. Micro business everywhere contributes to why India is so slow pace. There is no Wal-Mart that sells everything you need in one store, but there is a store for just about every individual thing you can think of. A person can be hired for just about anything; to deliver your food, even milk shakes. You can even rent just about anything; if they cannot sell it, then they figure they might as well try to rent it and get some money out of it. [Hence, we are renting some carpet for the retreat]. The water is not good to drink. Brush teeth with bottled watered. The sound of a fan will become music to one's ears. Spicy food. People everywhere, most buildings are makeshift, and no open space. Crazy traffic and have yet to see a car without a scratch on it. Turbins of all colors. More languages than I knew existed. Indians that look Asian.

English Classes

Today (July 22) we started to teach a conversational english course. In this course we got to have everyone practice speaking aloud, asking questions, giving aswers, and getting feedback to see how well they comprehended everything. Today's class was really neat, because in our speaking aloud, we each got to share some things about ourselves, and during the question time after I had shared about myself, I got to share more about my faith. A man from Iran, who is getting his PhD in Religious Studies, asked me what my observations were about all the differnt religions in Delhi. When I answered him I realized that Sikhs represent themselves with Turbins, muslims with hats and burkas, hindus with dots and lines on their foreheads, as well as pictures of the gods the worship. After he asked me what it is that symbolizes christianity, I realized that the cross would be one symbol, but the differnce that sets Christians apart from the others is a change of heart. God cares more about the heart, the inward, than He does about the outward! It is true that when I see someone, I may not be able to tell they are a Christian by looking at them, because God desires all nations to praise His name (we all look pretty different), but I can tell by their fruits; Love, Joy, patience, mercy, goodness, kindness, peace, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. :)

"Chat-Over-Coffee"

This was so much fun! I enjoy getting to know people, especially if they are from a culture different than my own. I had some Iranians in my group who are learning English and stayed for chat-over-coffee to practice their English. They are so lovely, mannerly, hospitable, and seem to be very good with people and they communicate effectively. The PMI staff passed out snacks for each table and drinks, and the Iranians were so eager to pass the snacks and drinks around at our table to make sure that everyone got one. We got to sit around the table and their was one gentleman that tried to dominate the conversation, but the Iranian gentlemen kindly encouraged him to let some of the others talk and practice their English. One thing that was really entertaining about this, is that those who are learning English are now at the stage where they are interested in learning idioms. It was funny trying to think through the silly things that I say that are so accustomed to me, and to try to explain what those sayings mean to someone who finds those sayings very foreign, also entertaining.

University Visit

Last Friday we went to one of the university campuses here to pass out flyers about Focal Point, which is a seminar that is evangelistic. We got to talk with people and also tell them about the free English classes that PMI offers. Observations: the ladies hang out with the ladies, the guys hang out with the guys, the ladies are reserved and not interested when I would try to talk with them, but if I genuinely complimented something about them then they would be very receptive to anything that I would share with them, and the guys were mostly receptive, but I would usually let the guys on staff talk with the guys on the campus. One guy was very skeptical and didn’t want anything to do with this organization if it was religious. We assured him that we have faith in God, but the organization its self is for people with any belief. This NGO has people that serve whom have a variety of religions. I think it is neat, what a better way to serve alongside others, build relationships, and share as the relationships are built through serving the community! It also seems like it is a good way to live it out and have them see how a believer is different. Living in a way that demands an explanation!

Journal Entry: Meeting Needs with a Purpose

July 9, 2009--Governmental School Visit
Moe, Sandeep and I ventured out into Delhi by way of a Rickshaw. We stopped for an iced coffee and made our way across town to a governmental school that offers free education. There are many children that are still not in school from the Nandlal slum, so PMI staff are trying to get about 20 children enrolled. One of the qualifications for enrollment is to show the authorities at the school the Child’s birth certificate. Many of these children born in Nandlal do not have birth certificates making it difficult to enroll them in school. Thankfully during our visit yesterday we were able to convince the authorities at the school to allow these children to enroll without their birth certificates. One requirement that they had is that the parent be there with the staff to enroll the children. That presented another difficulty, because many of the parents are not willing to do that. Many of the parents did not go to school themselves, so they are not concerned about their children going to school either. When we returned to the resource center we prayed that the parents heart’s would be softened and willing to go with the staff to enroll the children. My prayer is that these kids could get an education, learn to read, and be more well equipped to one day be a student of God’s Word! Many of these kids are the same kids that the staff picks up by Rickshaw every Sunday morning for Sunday school.
July 11, 2009--Answers and Thoughts:
Some Answers: Yesterday Moe and Sandeep went to pick up the parents (“untouchables”) by Rickshaw and take them to the school. Prayers were answered and they were willing to go to the school to sign papers and enroll the children! These kids get to go to school! Now pray that seeds would continue to be planted. I hope people ask why Moe and Sandeep are so eager for these children to go to school. Why do they care so much? Why are they going out of their way on such a hot day to do this for these people they aren’t even related to, to these people that they do not really know all that well?

Some thoughts: There are needs everywhere. In some places more than others. Where ever it is that God has me, I want to live with this motto, “Live a life that demands an explanation!” That can be: being a considerate surfer out in the water on the coasts of California or Hawaii where people are really selfish about the waves and want them all for themselves, it could be inviting neighbors over for meals and getting to know their passions about life, it could be being the one at the party that has self-control not to get drunk, it can be the one that makes millions but lives simply, it can be the one that spends every Saturday serving at the local homeless shelter, instead of sleeping in like many others do after a week of hard work, it can be the one that has the word of the Lord always n their tongue, who boasts not of their own accomplishments and successes, but of the Lord and what He has done, it could be the one who reaches out to the rejects, the lonely, the abused, the widowed, it could be one day being a mother and investing my life into my children, teaching my sons to be gentleman, and my daughters to adorn their inward beauty, or it can be moving away leaving everything that I have always known to learn a new culture, a new language, and live in a place that has never seen nor heard. There is not an option that is more “spiritual” than the other. All are good options and bring glory to God. Where would the Lord have me? I know where He has me now and I know, Lord willing, where He will have me in August, and I long to live a life that demands an explanation wherever I am. I definitely need God’s grace to do that;
To live this out now, and not just in the, "When I finally get to wherever it is I am trying to figure out where to go" points, but now wherever it is God has me.

First time Flying

First time flying and I flew to the other side of the world! I traveled to Hong Kong, Thailand, now here in India, next will be Sri Lanka. I Loved flying over the pacific, watching the sunrise, seeing every type of cloud, and seeing ships from my window seat voyaging the seas below me! Interacting with many cultures different than my own! The neat thing about Delhi is that there are so many people from different parts of India. It is an adventure that I have been enjoying, although there are challenges for sure; hot weather, swimming in sweat, no AC, electricity goes out from time to time, extreme poverty, different smells, but there is humor in some, not all, of the challenges. Today at lunch, our group managed to order four plates of chicken!!! We meant to order one "Full" plate, which has about ten peices of chicken on it, but their ears heard "four" plates. I am sure there will be more funny stories like this one about miscommunication as the days unfold over the next two weeks!

The Time is Drawing Near!

...Two days from now I will be on my way to the airport!