In This City

Today was quite an incredible day; one I will not likely forget for a long time.  It was fairly simple in general, but it left me pondering many thoughts that I hope will motivate me toward action sometime in my future.

I'll start at the beginning.  Last weekend I took Kirstin, my sister, to the airport so she could visit her boyfriend who had just graduated from Infantry school in the Army.  On Monday, she called me and told me she was missing her camera.  As I went to check my car for it, I felt peace as I asked for the Lord's guidance, "Please help me find it in your will."  I did not find it, so she called the airport who reported a lost camera.  She found out it was hers (maybe it was indeed good for her to have a uniquely-colored purple camera), but we did not have time to pick it up until Saturday. 

A few days into the week, however, I remembered that I desperately needed gas after the trip to the airport.  "Let's take the bus," I thought as I also considered the $10 trip to the airport for a lost camera.  This is just one of the many incredible ways God works....I waited until last night to ask my sister, who surprisingly agreed fairly quickly.  "Okay," I thought, "Here we go." 

I looked up routes online and discovered that it would indeed be possible and for far cheaper than the anticipated $10.  As I looked at the routes, I noticed that for part of the trip, we would take the Light Rail (train), which also went to the Mall of America.  "Would you want to go," I asked Kirstin as we travelled to the bus station. 
"Yes!" she responded.  She proceeded to call our cousin, Sydney, who also agreed this would be a great idea. 

It was going to work out perfectly.  We were going to get on the bus, take the light rail to the airport, pick up the camera, meet Sydney at the mall, and then have her drive us home.

Curveball #1. Kirstin informed me that Mike and Carrie (our 2nd cousins) invited us over for dinner at their home in South Minneapolis. 

Solution #1.  We decided we were going to still go to the airport first, then go to Mike and Carrie, and then make our way over to the mall.

We were "right on time" to catch the bus.  The bus ride itself was fine.  I had riden a city bus a couple times before, so it was really nothing new.  However, every time I ride a city bus, I am reminded of the world outside the protected Christian circles in which I find myself.  I am reminded of the culture that is so different, yet so much the same.  As we drove along Snelling, I noticed a church's sign (please do not judge this church because we certaintly have similar assumptions) that read "Join us Sundays at 9:30."  Imagine this from someone who does not know what church is, who has never been there before.  My first question would be "In the morning or at night?"  It reminds me of how many assumptions we make as Christians who have grown up in the church.  We all know that church services are Sunday mornings.  We know how to dress, how to act, and what to expect when we go in the front door.

I looked around me.  There were people for obvious walks of life that I could only imagine. I saw a lady get on who worked at Target and saw the routine in her posture.  I saw a mother with her child who looked different than me but acted very similar.  I noticed a lady pull a chord.  "Stop requested," sounded the speaker.  "What does that mean?" I thought as the bus kept going.  Here I was in the middle of a different culture, one that may not know what to expect when going to church, but a culture that knew to pull a chord to get off at the next bus stop; a culture that knew what time to expect the bus to reach their stop; and a culture that knew how to dress, how to act, and what to expect when getting on the bus.  In the middle of all my thoughts was this questions, "What do I do?"

"How can I as a Christian in the middle of middle class Christian culture show these people the love of Christ?"  Does anyone take the time to share the love of Christ with these people?  I don't know, but what would this world look like if Christians started to take the city bus even though they could drive? What would happen if we left our comfort zone to become a part of a different group of people who desperately need Christ?  It almost seems that Christ would ride the city bus if he were here today.  What makes me think this?  Well, when he was on earth, he walked through Samaria, a place feared by the Jews; a place you "just didn't go."  I know I viewed the city bus that way and sometimes, honestly, still do.

Anyway, moving on.  So Kirstin and I got on the city bus and travelled to the light rail train.  We got to the airport and found the office that held her camera locked.  "Oh no," we thought.  As we were waiting after asking for the office worker to be paged, an African American man came by.  He looked frustrated as he saw the locked door.  He very excitedly explained to us that his bag had gotten switched with someone elses and he needed his bag back.  We waited with each other and he continued to tell us about his situation.  We called again and were told to go to the ticket counter. 
"I don't know where the ticket counter is,"  Kirstin said.
"Oh, the ticket counter?  I know that," the man said as he got his bag ready to go, "I just came from there.  This is my third trip!" he said, obviously perterbed. 
As we walked and talked, we discovered he was from New Orleans.
"I love that place," my sister said as she eventually was able to tell him about our mission's trip down there a couple years ago.  I heard the interest in his voice as he asked questions about our trip.
We eventually got the camera (Praise the Lord!) and I was left praying for a man I had just met as he felt comfortable enough with us to claim us as his cousins when the airport attendant addressed us.  Wow, God.  Wow.

Curveball #2.  As we were waiting for the camera, we called Carrie to find out what time they were having dinner.  We discovered it was at 7:30.  This wouldn't have been such a big deal except we had already told Sydney we were going to meet her at 8, which obviously was not going to happen.  To add to the matter, Sydney was still at work.

Solution #2.  Kirstin texted Sydney and told her to call her when she got off work.  Then we would work out another solution.

So, Kirstin and I got on the light rail.  As Kirstin talked on the phone to Sydney, I noticed a person sitting adjacent to me on the bus (my math friends would appreciate that...).  This person looked like a woman, had a purse like a woman, but this person sure did not sound like a woman.  I immediately knew this person must have had a sex change.  "She" was putting bandaids in her purse when she caught my eye.
"You've got to be prepared," she said.  She then proceeded to tell me about her life story, how she had gotten AIDS and moved to Minnesota. 
Kirstin left with a compliment on her hair, and I was left to marvel again at what a different culture I had been missing out on.

We got off the light rail and continued our conversation.  I could not help but feel for this woman who obviously needed Jesus.  I wanted to share the gospel with her but knew that yelling across a train would only be effective if Christ was asking me too, which I don't necessarily think he was.  My heart was indeed open to the thought, which is where the beginning of this post comes in.  I do not know if God has visions and plans of me sharing the gospel on public transportation someday, but I am amazed at the world outside and frequently forget what it's truly like. 
There are people, so many people who are lost.  There are people who need Jesus.  Who is going to bring the gospel to them but us?  Are they going to come to our churches?  The chances of them coming to our churches are the chances of us riding their city buses (and I don't mean that sarcastically).

After this day, a crazy adventure on public transportation and a day filled with love and dinner with family, I am left to wonder how God is going to work.  In fact, however, he is already working and I just need to pray that he would align my heart with his and open my eyes to the plans he has for me today, plans to prosper me, but more importantly, plans that are meant to advance HIS kingdom.  After all, that is why we are here, for him.

~Jeremiah 29:11,
Romans 10:14-15
"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?  And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?  And how can they preach unless they are sent?  As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

Prayer

The campers have left, the staff are gone, and I am back at camp ready to experience what God has planned for me in the few days I have left here.  As I have been cleaning and organizing a messy office, I have also been inspired to read through my notebook that include a variety of contents.  In the mess of all the randomness, I discovered sermon notes from Felch Mountain Bible Chapel.  as I read them, I was reminded of many quotes and ideas, but one section stood out above the rest (maybe because it was highlighted...but still ;)...).  It is simply four results of praying:

1. Unity- Col. 3:14
2. Share one another's burdens- Gal. 6:2
3. Like-minded- Phil. 2:2
4. Submit ourselves to the Lord.- James 4:7

Normally, these would be just words on a page, but they are not any more.  I can personally testify that these four things will result from prayer with others, whether this prayer is from a community unified hand-in-hand or a group praying with each other across the world.  Praying with others is truly indescrible and incredible.  In fact, praying with others has become one of my favorite pastimes.  I simply cannot describle it, but it truly is incredible...just ask if you want more details because I am currently at a loss for words.

The closest explanation I can come up with right now is that praying with others gives those involved a glimpse into what heaven might be like.  Granted, there is definitely more to it than that and that is not a statement meant to be taken as is word for word, but the peace, joy, and other emotions that result from praying together with others truly is indescrible, similar to the heaven "described" in Revelation. 

Philippians is filled with these ideas, but these two verses most concisely make my point
"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ,...then make my (Paul) joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose."  How is all this possible?  I would argue that prayer makes all these things possible.

Where has the summer gone?

It is incredibly hard to believe that I sit here now reflecting on 5 incredible, tiring, and rewarding weeks of camp.  It is interesting that everytime I have decided to blog since I last had at the end of June, I was detoured by other committments or necessary priorities.  Now, however, I sit here with some time to spare before I head to bed.  As I reflect on the summer I cannot believe what God has allowed me to experience thus far.  Because each experience itself could be its own blog (and indeed I originally intended it to be), I will do a quick overview of a few themes that have come out so far.

God's sovereignty
One lesson I have been learning is about the fact that God already has everything planned out and under control.  He knows when a camper is going to name Lake Ellen Camp as the "place that changed their life" when Christ is fully understood and accepted as a personal Savior; he knows when I am going to be stressed and feel completely overwhelmed; and he knows everything that will happen in the future as well.  Nothing takes God by surprise, which is only one of the many reasons that we do not need to worry while he is in control. Praise the Lord!

Prayer
No matter how hard I try, I cannot describe in words what an incredible blessing and honor it is to surrender everything to the Lord in prayer (Phil. 4:6).  Praying truly is an experience as it allows an opportunity to bow before the One and Only great, awesome, powerful, and Holy Lord of Creation.  He is so mighty he created the universe by speaking and yet he chooses to listen to us.  There are specifically two lessons that I find and have been learning thus far though:
1- Bond of unity.  I can honestly say that Mindy (my partner) and I would not have been successful as a team without prayer.  We are two totally different people with different ideas, etc. Yet, through God's power and our submission in prayer, we were united to accomplish God's purpose and plan for the program. Yeah!

2- Answered Prayer
Mindy and I were so inspired by the ways we saw God working that we couldn't help but praise the Lord.  We placed posterboard on the wall and named it our "answered prayer wall" where we wrote and encouraged others to write down evidences of God working through prayers that were noticably answered.  The wall is nearing its limit and we are left praising the Lord.

I suppose that is enough for now.  I still need to work on writing concisely (help me Mindy!).  I have so much more to say and in God's perfect timing it may get recorded.  As Brindy (Mindy and Britta) say, "God's will not my schedule."

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." ~Ephesians 3:20-21

Amen.  Praise the LORD!

God's Got It

This happened more than a week ago, but it still reminds me that God's got everything under control.  I just need to be obedient and flexible according to his plan.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Staff Training
Forecast: 100% chance of rain

Hmmm...what do we do with more than 30 staff members at an outdoor camp with litle indoor space?  Play games until they drop?  Probably not. Watch movies?  Not all day.  Let the Lord take contol.  Yes, now that will work.

We had originally planned to cover some materials, play some outdoor games, go on a trail ride, and have some free time, but many of those require us to be outside, so that was not going to work.  The Lord, however, knew exactly what he was doing.

First, we covered lots of necessary material in our staff manuals.  Then Ralph felt led to play some video clips of Ron Hutchcraft, a speaker at a camp conference he attended.  They touched the hearts of many of the staff members and challenged them in ways they would not have otherwise been challenged.  Thank you, Lord.

After dinner we had some free time before our "campfire" which was spent mainly inside.  Mindy and I met with Ralph to discuss our options.  We decided to watch a movie.

We planned to start the movie Time Changer, which shows, in a fictional format, the current state of our Christianity.  We planned on starting the movie around 7, however, when we hit Play, a black and white screen appeared, which wouldn't be a problem except for the fact that it indeed in a color movie.

While Ralph explored various options, Mindy came to me and asked if we should memorize scripture while we were waiting.

"Perfect," I thought.
We had been wanting to challenge the staff to memorize Philippians 2:5-11 but weren't sure how we were going to do it.  God knew though.

We memorize verses 5-9 in the time it took Ralph to find the problem.  I looked at my watch, "7:45."  We had planned to finish early, but it was evident that was not going to be the case.  In the end it didn't matter because we had the opportunity to memorize scripture together.   Now, looking back, I have seen the positive effects of memorizing that passage together.  As I walk into counselor's cabins, I see that passage posted in many places, which truly touches my heart.  

God, what could have been a miserable and unproductive day you of course used for good.  As I reflect, I can't help but praise you for inserting messages that truly shook me and challenged me in ways that would have never happened had the rain not come.

The day brought new meaning to a lyric for a well-known Christian song:
"If that's what it takes to praise you, Jesus bring the rain."

Praise the Lord!

God's Plan

Yesterday I was sitting in the chapel enjoying worship with my fellow brother and sister staff members, but the whole time I also wanted to play the piano myself.  I mostly wanted to because I wanted everyone to see how good I was.  I knew this wasn't the right attitude, but I didn't really want to admit that.  After a while, I finally sat down and started to play after most everyone had left.  It was through this that I was able to start teaching someone the simple-to-me task of playing the piano.  Tonight I sat listening to her play and was touched by how God had used my selfish desire to show me that I must be a servant.

I am going to challenge myself to give God the glory.  Next time I am tempted to selfishly show others my God-given ability to play the piano, I will instead want to play so that they hear the music and give glory to God.

"To God be the glory forever and ever.  Amen."

Thou Shalt Not Worry

I have been reading through a devotional called Jesus Calling recently.  Each day there is a short reading written as though Jesus is speaking to you.  Today "Jesus" told me that He is always with me.  There are many reasons why I frequently forget this, but the main reason is worry.  When I worry I forget that He is in charge.  When I worry I need to simply give my worry to him and then turn my focus to him.  He will either solve my problem or show me what I need to do to solve it.

Today this idea surfaced many times.  There were many worries in my life that I reevaluated with this new idea.

1) Duke.  My new dog is a year old and not meeting my expectations of what I originally expected when we got him.  Today I was able to enjoy him because I did not worry about doing everything right but instead trusted that whatever I did would be "worked out for good." (Romans 8:28).

2) Transportation.  In the evening, I worried about finding a ride to and from spending time with friends.  I knew that everything would work out, but I still worried.  I spent most of my time with my friends worrying about a ride home until a solution surfaced.  Unfortunately, I missed so many opportunities to have fun and enjoy friends' company before I leave for camp on Sunday.

3) Grades.  A few weeks ago I saw my grades from my last semester at school.  One of my grades reported an A- that I was sure was supposed to be an A.  When I looked individually through the grades, I discovered there was no grade for one of the worksheets.  I e-mailed my professor and we were starting to discuss what (if anything) could be done.  Before I e-mailed him back, I decided I better check my binder one more time to make sure I did not have the missing worksheet as proof.  As I flipped to the back, I saw a glimpse of something familiar and discovered my missing worksheet!  I shouted for joy and thanked the Lord.  I did not need to worry.  God had it under control.

4) Money.  This is a common worry for many.  I am learning, however, that it does not need to be.  Earlier in the year, I had been considering going to Ireland during Spring Break.  I didn't know if this was possible with my finances, so I refused to address the situation.  Yesterday, however, I received a phone call explaining that I needed to decide within the next couple days or there may not be a trip.  I immediately talked to my mom and sister and finalized my decision to go.  Before I sent the deposit, however, I looked at my financial situation for next year.  It didn't look pretty.  It was going to be tight, maybe too tight.  I didn't know how it was going to work out, but I sent the $500 anyway, trusting that God would provide a way if it was meant to be.

I made some calculations to determine the amount of money I would need to make and the amount of money that I would need to spend.  According to my calculations, I would need approximately $9000 for my spring semester alone, which was simply not possible with my limited income.  I accepted the fact that I may have to take out other loans.

But wait, the story doesn't end there; it never ends when you expect it to when God is involved. :)  I looked at my computer to more accurately calculate the costs and discovered that I was going to need a whole lot less money than I originally thought.  Maybe this was more possible after all!  I discovered that I may be able to pay for my fall semester all in one chunk (payment) which would greatly help and would mean that my income for both fall and spring semester could be applied to the now $7000 cost of spring semester.

The Lord is so good to us, but we are so quick to forget his goodness.  We are simply children who need guidance and wisdom to navigate a scary and unpredicable world.  Think about children you know.  Where would they be without loving adults in their lives.  That is where we are without Christ.  He is there and He is in charge.  No need to worry.  Daddy's got it under control. Thanks God!

Challenge: Let God be in charge. He has a far greater plan than you do anyway.

Are you a stranger?

"We are aliens, aliens, aliens in this world." (repeat).

This was the chorus to a song my brother wrote early in life during a phase that included a fascination with aliens (Mom, Dad, Kirstin, and Shawn...I bet the tune just ran through your head).  The words came from the Bible, 1 Peter 2:11 to be exact, "Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world."

In light of 1 Peter 2:11 and my brother's song, my question for you is

"Are you an alien, alien, alien in this world?"


As I have been reading through 1 Peter I have started to realize what being an "alien" or "stranger" in this world means.

Have you ever met anyone famous? Have you ever looked up to someone and not wanted to embarass yourself in front of them (someone older and respected)?  Have you ever liked someone of the opposite sex and had an experience with him or her (embarassing or otherwise)?
How would you or did you respond when you were around them?  (stop for a moment and think...)


I tend to appraoch these experiences with a hesitant and reserved attitude.  I say every word and place every step with care not wanting to make a fool of myself or reveal my hidden faults.  If I am around someone I truly respect or admire (famous people, wise elders, valued friends), I want them to value me so I do everything I can to show them I am worthy.

This is what I think of when I think about another verse in 1 Peter (1:17), "...live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear."  I interpret this verse to mean that we should live our lives here on earth like we would if there were someone famous or respected in our lives everyday.  We should be careful of every word we say and watch everywhere we go in an effort to impress our Maker and show him that we are worthy.

The End of the Beginning

Today I finished reading through Nehemiah and am left to ponder exactly how it is going to apply to my life.  I am amazed at how reading through the book and commenting on each verse has helped me notice important aspects of the book that I had never known.  There really is so much about leadership in that book, which I will need as I journey to camp in less than a month.  It will be interesting to see how these lessons play out even now as God prepared me for my experience at camp.  Ready or not, the journey has began.