encounter.

so... camp is coming. =)

i LOVE high school camp.  there is something enchanting about it.  we leave next monday and i am already getting so excited.  i am excited about the dress-up safari night, the talent show night, the late night talks with the girls in my cabin... and just the ridiculous moments of laughter i know await me.

it could also be that camp is where my life was changed 10 years ago.  

when i was fifteen, i went to jenness park and experienced "centrifuge" camp for the first time.  it was there i chose to follow Jesus for the first time.  who knew that such a decision would directly impact every moment of the rest of my life?  it was by far the most important decision i've ever made.  and i have no regrets. =)

the best part: now get to take high school students to that same place each summer.  and in less than a week, i will get to sit in the very place that God Himself first spoke to me.  so, yep... pretty excited about that.

more importantly than me... =)  i am anticipating God to speak to the students i am taking with me.  i am expecting His Divinity to breathe life into their humanity and for some of them to experience the beauty that is Christ for the first time.  this... this is ministry... and this is why i love it.

so... here's to camp and seeing lives changed.  here's to re-visiting the place i gave my life to Jesus.  here's to being there as students engage Holy God face-to-face and being reminded of who i was... and who i now am... due to that very same encounter.

hellenists and hebrews

i haven't had much to say. i know... it's a miracle. =) but, my mind has been so overwhelmed with thoughts of what lies ahead and of visions of africa. it's been hard to think about how to clearly communicate anything effectively at all. but... today i will attempt to being writing again.

last night i spoke with my high school students about division/unity within the church. we looked into the book of Acts and were able to spend some time discussing the early church and their issues with division.

in acts, we see two types of believers mentioned. one, the Hebrews, are believers coming from the Jewish line. they adhere to Jewish tradition, customs, language, and culture. the other, the Hellenists, are Gentiles, saved beneath the traditions and culture of the Greeks. and there is division. in fact, we read in acts 6:1 that the Hellenists are a bit upset that the church is neglecting "their widows" in the daily food distribution. well, here is where it gets interesting.

if you look at the 12 apostles... they are all Hebrew names. these 12 men... the leaders of the early church all come from one side of the fence, if you will. and the Hellenists are a bit disturbed. so... the apostles... the 12... the Hebrews... choose among them 7 men to appoint as administrators in the early church. this is done so that no one would be neglected.

but the 12 do something very intentional. the 7 they appoint are all Hellenists. not one of them is Jewish in background. reading through acts 6 you can see each name is greek. very clever. =) and also a very intentional way to bring about equality and unity within the church. they were wise in seeking to bridge the gap. i love it.

interestingly enough.... as you read further, stephen (one of the 7 Hellenists appointed as administrators), ends up before the Jewish council and ends up being stoned (acts 7). and yet, peter and john(Hebrews of course) end up before the same council and end up being freed (acts 4). the division continues.

both before the same court, both adhering to the same testimony, both proclaiming to the same witness... Jesus is Lord... one is freed, the other is stoned.

ah, can you imagine belivers in the early church? they must have seen that there was a line. if you were Hebrew, you were somehow better, more holy... chosen. if just a Gentile... well....

and here Jesus prayed so specifically, so intensely, that we would be united and unified (john 17).
that we might seek to live lives beyond oursleves and seek to honor Christ by living at peace with one another... that will be our finest hour.

during the last supper, Jesus told His disciples that the greatest commandment was for them to love one another. He was speaking to believers. He was in a room, sharing a meal with His closest friends and telling them to love one another. This is the Gospel. Oftentimes, we find it incredibly easy to love the lost... but fail at loving those within the church.

hmmm... i wonder at Jesus' repsonse to our behavior. it must be gracious.

hidden Divinity

it's one thing to look at a picture, or hear a story. you're able to connect, at least on some level, with your senses. whether it be your eyes seeing something beyond comprehension, or your hand touching something unfamiliar, or uncomfortable. however, the remarkable happens... no the Divine happens... when one is able to fully engage in something with all five of their senses. this was africa to me. my senses were on overload, if you will. i saw things i never imagined, i felt the tiny hands of a baby orphan and had the tears of a widowed woman dying of AIDS fall down my neck... i tasted the culture and enjoyed the hospitality or a beautiful people, i smelled differences in appearance and in hygene and heard the laughter of contentment, the voices of children singing, "wel-o-come to our visitors..." and i was captivated.

to be perfectly honest... i do not easily adapt. though raised in a family that traveled... i think that change is something i have grown to dislike. =) on each of my previous mission trips, i had a moment of intense culture shock in which i adampantly longed to find myself in the conforts of home. however, this was not the case in uganda. i felt safe, comfortable, and content. i loved the dirt, the chaos, the bright colors, and curious glances. i loved the dancing, the hugging, the immense joy that exuded from even the loneliest soul. i treasured the prayers, and was amazed at the talent... and was so broken to leave. though happy to be home... a piece of me truly was left in the little village of iganga and with the people of wiraika.

as i settle into reverse culture shock, i am amazed that it was all real. it already appears as a snapshot in my mind. i write this to say that this mission trip is not over. i cannot stay silent about the things i have seen, what i have heard, the strange things i smelled, the tastes of africa left still in my mouth, and the touch of the widows and orphans.... and so i remind you... that religion that is pure... is to visit widows and orphans. this is the way to impact the Kingdom. to live the Gospel... to read the Bible and to actually do what it says. what hidden Divinity is found there.

you'll hear more. =) i cannot go back to who i was before this trip... as that perspective has been shattered. so gear up... i've got something to say... and i won't stop sharing. =)

draw deeply

karis. sweet karis. =)

i am constantly being reminded this week about the necessity of drawing deeply upon God's grace. it is essential to living a life in which my soul is rested. i profess with confidence that there is a vast difference between simply resting and soul resting. anyone can take a nap... and yes, a nap is sometimes exactly what one needs!!! and yet, you can take all the naps in the world and never find rest for your soul. that can only be done by sitting with the Father... =) and... drawing upon the grace He so readily offers. that in itself makes God worthy of praise.

this week, i've been speaking with my high schoolers about the ministry of reconciliation. ah, how they have struggled with the call God has given them as ministers. =) they are sweet in their pursuit of understanding and can become so frustrated at their lack of ability to fulfill some of these seemingly lofty commands. again... we must draw deeply on his grace. last night as we opened His Word... we read in 2 Corinthians 5 that God has given us this "ministry of reconciliation" and He defines it as "not counting men's sins against them." when stacy brought this passage to my attention this week, i was reminded of the insane call to live life "other," to live life "different," to live life "set apart," in effort to live the Gospel and proclaim it to the nations. and then... as i brought the same passage before my students.... well... we wrestled.

God is "other"... He is "uncommon"... and how desperately we want to know Him and so we are in this constant battle to try and conform Him to our worlds, our ways, our common molds... and He simply will never fit there. instead... He says.... come to me... and i will give you rest. He says... draw deeply upon my grace and you'll experience me. and then... as an overflow... it will become your joy to be ministers of this Gospel... of this "other-ness."

so, to my students...
you are in Christ. His grace is presently available for you to draw deeply upon. i have seen you live the Gospel in very intentional ways. now... go... and seek to be obedient to this charge in 2 corinthians. seek to become a minister of reconciliation. cling to the promise that He is with you... and as you go... choose to not count men's sins against you. oh, i know how diffifult it is! trust that i know the struggle! but... what i see in you is Him. pure and simple, you've chosen to live "other" to live "uncommon"... so may your thoughts, your actions, your attitude, and your words seek to be aligned with the way you've chosen to live your life. be people who breathe grace.

and draw deeply.
i love you. =)