An Unlikely (or Unexpected) God-Story

Back in January, I was having my quiet time after New Year's and reflecting back on how incredibly different my life is in 2010 versus 2000. Lots of praising God for the immense work He's done in completely 180-ing my life in that decade. I mean, my life was ridiculous in 2000. Didn't know the Lord (for SURE!), didn't live in Austin, wasn't married, was running around with boys, a drunk, materialistic, anti-religious athiest, mom was alive, sister was alive, you name it... Anyway, I was truly marveling and how He can redeem and purify my life.

Then I started forward praying... wondering how He might change my life even more over the NEXT 10 years. What would I be celebrating after New Year's in 2020?! How could He possibly do MORE than He has already done?! (Not that I think I am "complete", but just thinking He's taken care of so many "majors".) So, as I was praying and wondering, I literally wrote: "I guess if You're gonna MAKE us have kids, that would happen sometime in the next decade cuz I am getting 'old'."

As soon as I wrote that in my prayer journal, I felt the Holy Spirit whisper... "How bout you talk to Me (God) about that?" Uhhhh, what?! I was shocked. And a little freaked out. So, I immediately started prayer-journaling (for 7pgs) about all the reasons why I didn't want kids, had never wanted kids (as in, never in my entire life), was scared to have to kids, felt called to not have kids, etc. Page after page, I poured out my heart to God with every rational and irrational excuse I could think of.

When I got the end of my pleading and talking, again I felt the Holy Spirit whisper... "Is that all? Cuz I am bigger than all of that." With eyes bulging, lump in throat, I closed my Bible & journal and went to find Andy in the other room. "Uhhh, Andy, we need to talk."

I started to tell him everything that had just happened-- the whole blow by blow-- and the entire time he's listening, he has this strange smile/smirk on his face. His response was so strange to me that I finally asked: "What's the deal?! Have you been praying for God to change my heart about all this or something?!" He adamantly denied it, saying "NO! I swear!!! ... but God started to talking to me about the same thing just a few days ago in my quiet time." I started bawling (the freak-out kind of crying). What does all this mean?!!?

So we both talked through (really, I cried through) the 100s of reasons why kids weren't for us. All our fears. All our selfishness. All our desires for how we envisioned our life together. But we ultimately couldn't deny God was speaking to us about it with a new agenda for the first time. Andy suggested we both take a week to separately explore it in prayer and the Word and talk to a few people about the potential shift. At the end of the 7 days we'd reconvene on the subject and see what we thought God was saying.

It was a strange and scary 7 days. But ultimately at its close, neither of us could deny what God was saying... He was asking us to have kids. Ouch. This was a total paradigm shift for me and completely foreign to even THINK about! But I couldn't ignore what was plain and clear, His call was real. And I (oddly) had a great peace about it... despite all my fears. If God was calling us to it, then I felt sure I could trust Him, even if it made no sense to me.

I immediately asked Andy if I could "have" 6 months to let the shift sink in before we did anything about it. But in his wisdom, Andy said if God has made His call clear, we shouldn't delay in responding. But in God's great mercy, He gave me 7 months before we actually conceived. In that time, He did a lot of work in me, helping me come to terms with a new game plan.

Now, I'm more than half way through my pregnancy. We are having a little girl in March. I still needed all the time I've gotten so far during pregnancy to continue to process. There is a LOT I am having to mourn & let go of. And there are plenty of dreams I am having to pray about assimilating our kids into. We don't feel a game change in our unique ministry calls. We certainly don't feel kids change our focus on serving the Lord FIRST. But I recognize there is a lot I am gonna have to learn as we go...

So, that's our unlikely story. But isn't it just like God?! I can only find comfort & peace when I trust & lean into Him about the whole thing.

Global Faith Forum

After hearing Carl Medearis speak in Austin this past May, I decided to read his book: "Muslims, Christians, & Jesus." The book was such a breath of fresh air in a sometimes stale conversation (within some Christian circles) on Muslim-Christian relations. I truly appreciated both his insights and shared experiences from a life trying to live out every day not as a Christian... but simply as a follower of Jesus. I learned a lot from the book and hope that his perspective on Truth assimilates itself more and more into my life.

At the end of his book, I read that he had a blog, which I started to follow. Last week, Medearis posted about the GLOBAL FAITH FORUM (of which I'd never heard). Here is his blog post about the event:

Global Faith Forum

November 11-13, 2010

NorthWood Church, Keller, TX

GlobalFaithForum.org

Featuring

HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal, HE Vietnamese Ambassador Le Cong Phung, Os Guinness, Eboo Patel, Ray Bakke, Bob Roberts, Jr., Ed Stetzer and others

Why the Global Faith Forum?

In case you haven’t noticed, the world around us is getting smaller. What used to be “on the other side of the world” is now in our own backyard.

As a result, we are rubbing shoulders with people of different cultures and religions who hold different values and beliefs.

In the midst of this shrinking world, we have three basic choices:

1. Live in fear of what we don’t understand threatening to burn, hate and denigrate.

2. Bury our head in the sand and play like none of this is happening (but you’d better turn off the evening news and try to not act too surprised when the globalized world lands on your front porch.)

3. Seek to engage in conversation, learning to respect and understand others while not compromising our core beliefs.

We believe option #3 is the best choice.
Join us at the Global Faith Forum as we learn how to join the conversation.

I am intrigued and eager to learn from this event. So, tonight I registered and am encouraging all you out there to go and sign up too!!!

Missed Opportunities

Once upon a time, I went to UT. At the time, I was an athiest, a complete "b", and also a sorority girl (laugh all you want, I am laughing right along side you). While I was at UT studying journalism my entire life was consumed with class, studying, and partying. I had no idea of all that campus life had to offer. Never heard of a single student organization. Never noticed any other ethnicity while I was in class. Never paid attention to ways I could get involved in serving my local community. What a loss!
This fall, I have had reason to be back on UT's campus several times since the semester kicked off, and my perspective is soooo different. I look at everything, and everyone, so differently. And I am lamenting all the missed opportunities that passed me by when I was a student.

Tonight, I went to a volunteer orientation for Refugee Services of Texas that was held on campus. 90% of the attendees were students who learned about the opportunity through various campus emails & groups. These students had a heart to serve refugees from some of the most war-devastated regions on the world. They were passionate and empathetic... anxious to get involved and make a difference!

Monday night, I went to a facilitator orientation for the International Office's Language Circle program. 99% of the attendees were students who were excited to take advantage of the opportunity to meet international students and help them practice English. There were also Language Circles for American students to learn/practice a second language-- like Turkish, Portuguese, Arabic, Korean-- led by native speakers from those places. I had no idea this was ever an option when I was in school. But what an creative avenue for culture & language sharing right there on campus!

Last week, I heard about a group that serves lunch, for free, every Wednesday to international students just to show them hospitality and be available to help them navigate Austin, UT, and life. Over the semester, they build relationships and encourage (often times) lonely, homesick students.

And this coming weekend, I am attending a "Backyard Barbecue" held on campus by one of the schools there to welcome international students. It is hosted by a program where local Austinites & UT students can be paired up with an international student (or student & their family) to be their "friend" for the semester... helping them to learn about Austin, America, and local family life. Its a chance to give them a feeling of home away from home just by having someone they can call or reach out to when they have questions, need to talk, and just want to have some fun.

My personal tilt (now, as opposed to back when I was a student) is that I LOVE internationals! I love learning about other cultures, I love traveling to other cultures, and I love welcoming other cultures to my hometown Austin. I am so impressed by all the chances current UT students have to meet & befriend & learn from other students who are here from foreign lands... what truly broad opportunities UT offers now. They probably offered all this back when I was a student too-- but I was to self-absorbed to notice, much less get involved. What a shame!

Tonight, I am sad to have missed all this back then... but I am praising God and thanking Him profusely for opening my eyes to these things now (and for letting me still be involved, even though I haven't been a student in more than a decade!).

3 Books, 1 Week

In light of some down time, I've found myself reading lots this last week... and consequently have 3 books to review.

First, In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan. This book was just what I was looking for in my (previously blogged about) effort to shake up my food patterns. I learned a lot of undesirable information about the modern food industry. And I am letting all the bad news simmer in my mind and hopefully redirect some of my choices. Things like... the way we commercially grow plants now has even affected the end product by taking out "nutrients" that have things the food industry doesn't want and injecting "nutrients" they want to increase. All in all, it affects the overall product, even of something you think is unchangeable-- like produce. "...You now have to eat three apples to get the same amount of iron as you have gotten from a single 1940 apple." (p. 118) Although really technical and prone to over-informing, this book was super helpful for me to learn how to navigate the modern food industry and the choices we now have in our supermarket.

Next, Under the Overpass, by Mike Yankoski. I randomly stumbled onto this book when looking for resources to learn about homelessness and social support systems affecting the poor. It just popped up in a Barnes & Noble search and caught my eye. What drew my attention was that it was written by a Christian man who set out to live on the streets, (with the homeless as one of their own) in 6 different American cities to see not only what life was like but also what social services (and churches in particular) were doing (or not doing) to impact the homeless community. The author wanted to experience it all while looking through the lens of his faith. It was certainly an interesting perspective and premise. As his journey unfolded, I was both moved by & found myself mourning for the church & its people-- at its triumphs & failings in loving the poor and treating people with compassion.

Finally, Tea with Hezbollah, by Carl Medearis & Ted Dekker. I recently heard Carl speak at a conference in Austin and he mentioned this latest book. His verbal description was so normal-person-thought-process-spoken-out-loud that is just caught my attention. He said something like: you know how the Bible says we are to love our neighbor? and goes further even to say, we should love our enemies? that that's Jesus' commands for his followers? well, I thought- in order to love our enemies we need to go and actually meet them, get to know them. so we set out to do just that. we traveled to the Middle East and sat down with some of the "bad guys" (from America's perspective) and just wanted to see what would happen... wanted to learn about them as people. in hopes that we could tell all you, and that it would help you love them as Christ loves them. That's all he said. And I bought it... and the book... and have really enjoyed just reading their travelogue of what it was like to visit some of my absolute favorite places in the world (the Middle East) and sit down with some of the most intimidating men of power and ask: "when was the last time you cried?" and "what makes you laugh?" The authors humanized these men for their readers. And that goes a long way in softening our hard hearts toward the call to love our enemies.

What Is Church?

Africa Inland Mission's most recent newsletter has a great article in it that I wanted to share here. It describes the similar questions I've been asking a lot over the last year as I travel abroad...
"What is Church?" by John Becker

Have you ever asked the question, "What is church?"

Sofas and tables removed, a couple dozen friends and neighbors cram together on the carpeted floor. As the tabla and dholaki drums begin to pound, the gathering sing "Khushi Khushi Manao," an Indian hymn calling the group to bolo bolo Masiha ki jai jai jai (sing your praises to Messiah with joy joy joy). After testimonies, some teaching and prayer, spicy aromas overwhelm the room as a colorful feast of curries and other delicacies is spread before the guests. Half at the satsang (spiritual gathering) were disciples of Jesus, the others were still following their Hindu, Sikh or Muslim faith-- but happy to join the celebration.

Is this church?

When a Muslim family chose to follow Jesus after watching the Jesus film, a local co-worker and I would meet in their home every week to teach the Bible and share fellowship together. It always involved a meal and prayer for each other. The gathering stated with five of us and quickly grew to eight as they shared their faith and invited the extended family. For various reasons, this family was not able to attend our conventional Sunday morning church service.

Is this church?

Thinking they were the only local followers of Jesus, the three Muslim background believers were hesitant to meet each other. But taking the risk, fears dissipated at the first meeting. Henceforth the three who had chosen to follow Isa al Masih (Jesus the Messiah) began to meet weekly in an olive grove outside the city walls. Each one in turn shared the Word. Then they prayed for and encouraged one another.

Is this church?

A few years ago I wouldn't have considered these "churches." I would beg to differ now. Let me explain.

...We are commissioned to "make disciples of all nations"-- not make churches of all nations. Everyone who places his/her faith in Jesus is a member of Christ's body, the universal Church. But in making disciples, the spirit-directed result is the gathering of these followers: the local church. But again, what ingredients make a church?

... A Somali nomad once said, "When you can put your church on the back of a camel, then I will think that Christianity is meant for us."

As a mission [organization] we concluded that church doesn't necessarily need four walls, a roof, and a pastor who has been to Bible School. So we set out to create a simpler definition of church: a community of disciples who know and reflect their identity in Christ through corporate worship and mission. Is this the definitive definition of local church? Probably not. Is it simplistic? Maybe. But we believe it is packed with Biblical truth and it has helped to shed our cultural biases and rethink our traditions so that "church" formation and multiplication can be experienced in every culture.

Most of the remaining unreached people groups will not be reached with a conventional and traditional model of church... We encourage our missionaries to envision "church" through the lens of the people they are serving.

Chan-Kind of Obedience

Today I heard some great news. Biblical Good News kind of good news. I saw on a friend's Facebook that Francis Chan is "stepping out in faith." For every person out there who has an idea who Chan is, this will hopefully be a chance to reflect personally... and ask God: are you calling me here, still? Or is it just easy to stay. God could stir in either direction. And one is not right & the other wrong. I think the point is, it's a personal call. What is HE asking you to do? And are you willing to surrender to that? Even if it scares you to death. Even if it mourns the loss of everything you've ever known about how to do life & work.

Catalyst had an interview scheduled with Francis Chan the day he broke the news to his staff. So when asked "What's God doing in you right now?" the interviewing didn't realize how much of a "scoop" he'd unearthed. But thankfully, Chan was transparent and shared the process of the decision, which I pray gives peace & inspiration to others who might be in his shoes, yet scared. Here is the video interview. My favorite quote is "I'd be hypocritical if I didn't go...".

After this interview, Chan prepared to share the news with his church body. And yesterday, his sermon said it all. Click here to get the sermon "Surrender."

I am grateful for Chan's obedience. I am grateful for the kind of God that cares more about our walk with Him, more about our spiritual growth & perseverance, than He does about our "ministry." It reminds me of the passage from Isaiah 58 when God says, "No, this is the kind of fasting I want...".

Video Post: Interrupted

Interrupted from Threads on Vimeo.

Found this video online today (part one of a series you can buy from Lifeway). It captures the seed-planting part of a story of change. When you get down to it, this theme is how God has been stirring and continues to stir further my heart since 2007. I have a LONG way to go yet, but I am not giving up on God's work in my heart.

The video series is an accompaniment to the book Interrupted, written by Jen Hatmaker.

The Ugliness of My Own Heart, as Seen Through Jean

* this is long, but its a drawn out confession, so details were necessary to paint the picture.

Yes. I went to Haiti in response to the earthquake. Yes. I wept with those who wept and tried to bring peace & comfort to the children. Yes. This was an act of obedience for me... God presented a choice to me when the invitation to travel came my way: Be available to respond to the opportunity God put in my path OR come up with an excuse as to why now just won't work for me. By His strength, I said yes Lord... send me!

Truth is, I thought that was gonna be the hardest part. And in fact was grateful He'd given me the strength to GO. But not everything about my trip was obedient. In fact, I was convicted about some serious yuckiness within me and wanted to transparently share it here.
One of the rescued orphans there was a 6 yr old named Jean. He had cerebral palsy (we guessed) and had been abandoned at a hospital in PAP by his mother after the earthquake. Danita took him in, but once he arrived we began to feel the weight of his special needs. He had multiple seizures a day, was likely blind, had very little (if any) muscle control, and was malnourished & dehydrated. And it looked like he had evidence of scabies on his hands.

His first day, we found a jogging stroller to put him in. Where he sat...all day...each day. He needed a care-giver to be with him round the clock. The other children at Danita's immediately took to him and pushed him around in the stroller, caressed his soft skin, tried to feed him water from a bottle. They loved him so easily and naturally.

I, however, was afraid of Jean. I would sit and watch him in his stroller. I'd rock the stroller, but I wouldn't touch him. He made weird (scary) noises. He had seizures that stressed me out. He couldn't hear me or see me (I thought).
The night I was assigned to the over-night shift, one of our team members who'd taken the night shift EVERY night said "we need someone to sleep on the floor (on a matress) next to Jean-- he has to be in between me & one other person so he doesn't roll off the bed at night. My first thought: "just keep quiet Anna, let someone else volunteer." It scared me to think of sleeping next to him. But as the night drew closer, no one volunteered and I reluctantly took the place beside Jean. I asked the doctor (pictured in the pink shirt below) what to do overnight to care for him. She said very plainly, "I'd love him, and rub his back. Make him feel safe by your touch. Give him tenderness to nurture his needs. He'll be fine, just reach out and keep a hand on him."

Lights were out sometime in the 8 o'clock hour, and by 9:15 I was seriously suffering. He sounded like he was choking every few breaths. He had a seizure. He kept rolling on his stomach and burying his face into the matress. I'd roll him back on his side or his back and he'd flop right back. I was afraid he would smother himself. Plus, I was scared to touch him because of his scabies outbreak-- I didn't want to catch it. So, seriously, I slept with a bottle of purell next to me and I lathered my hands after EACH TIME I touched this kid. So that meant no continual touch from me-- just corrective touch. I maybe slept a total of an hour that night. I was sure he'd die on my watch. And I was sure I'd get scabies if I touched him too much. I was so devastated by the grip these ugly thoughts had on my heart. I think part of my lack of sleep was me purely wrestling with God. It was ugly! I was ugly!

Then morning came, and Jean had lived through the night. I changed his diaper and put him back in his stroller and off we went for the day. Somehow I felt bonded to this boy, even though I was still rather cold to him. I think I wanted to love him better, so just kept staying with him hoping my heart would soften. A visiting doctor arrived around lunch and commented that Jean really needed to be touched. Just from doing an evaluation Jean had grabbed onto the doctor's finger and wouldn't let go. The doc explained he was starved for love and human touch and he encouraged me to do so. For the next few hours, I conceded to touching Jean-- but only on his legs cuz I didn't see any scabies marks there. I gently massaged his calves and stroked his knee. I talked sweetly to him and tried to gently love him.

Around 4, the other doctor (who'd advised me the night before) came and asked me if Jean had been held today. Embarrassed, I said- "well, I've been rubbing his legs for the last 3 hrs." She asked directly, "have you taken him out of his stroller at all today?" Fully ashamed of myself, I had to admit "no." She immediately picked him up and embraced this little boy and held him for the rest of the night, and all the next day.
That night, laying in bed, I was broken over my own sin. My goal-verse for this trip was Luke 6:36 "You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate." And I recognized that in the case of Jean, I had failed MISERABLY! I was scared to touch him. Why? 1) Because I let fear, not love, rule my heart. And 2) because I was afraid I'd get scabies. And why would that be a big deal? Its treatable. Well, I saw I have an idol in my life I didn't know about: coveting my things more than God. I just moved to a new house. I just bought a new matress & new sheets. And I have 3 dogs. I didn't want scabies in or on any of those things. If I didn't have those "things" I would have cared far less if I'd gotten scabies. So I neglected a child who was in critical need of nurturing because of my STUFF & MY OWN COMFORT. (Lord forgive me!)

I was sick to my stomach (and still am). God gave me a beautiful opportunity to embody His love and compassion, and I said NO. :( As I processed more and more the weight of my sin, I kept thinking: "Jesus would have touched that boy. Jesus would have held him tight. Jesus would have whispered love into his ears whether Jean could hear it or not. I did NOT reflect Jesus to this little boy." OH GOD, how sorry I am. I feel so ugly inside, knowing the hardness of my heart.

I will regret this failing for the rest of my days.
But even as I cry writing this, reliving the shame, I have to cling to the promise from God that "He who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it" (Philippians 1:6). Over the last year, God has stretched me & grown me in the area of mercy and showing love to others in need. Its been a hard road, for I had a very cold heart, but I can look back even now and see how far I've come. The "lesson of Jean" was a major speed-bump in the process of refining my character & in maturing me as an ambassador for Christ. But it brought conviction. It brought mourning for my own sin. And it brought trust that I am still "in progress" and God is not giving up on me! I just hate that this little boy was neglected as part of my process.

Pray for Jean. Pray that he would experience the tangible love of Christ from his care-givers. Pray for me, that God uses this failing to continue softening my heart towards those He loves.

Intentional Quiet Times

Check out this insightful/helpful blog post by JR Vassar about planning for intentional "quiet times" in 2010. Staying "in the word" (reading your Bible) and praying daily are keys to perseverance in the faith.

"It Started With A Sewing Machine"

This summer I stopped in Southern Sudan for a few days to visit my childhood best friend. Her & her husband had started a non-profit called Seed Effect to help fight poverty in this devastated country. They wanted me to come and see the work that had begun... it was truly powerful! God is at work to provide for the poor. Just a few weeks ago, a team visited and shot video footage to portray the story, not just in words, but with visuals. Below is the end result.

It is powerful.

It is a God-inspired endeavor... and God is completing the work.

It is a simple, tangible way to combat poverty in this world.



I beg you, be a part of The Seed Effect and change not just one life, but an entire community!

Book Reviews: Summer Reading

I realize its Oct 12th... but I read so much this summer that I wanted to share/recommend but never got around to posting. So, this was my summer reading list (thru Sept actually, but I think fall just officially got under way)... in short review form:

• Crossing Cultures by Patti Lane... I pick this book up our our church's summer Leadership Conference after attending the breakout session Patti taught. She shares from years of insight about how to relate cross-culturally with respect, with humility, with a learner's attitude, and in a way that glorifies Christ. Thumbs up, recommend it!
• Wicked by Gregory Maguire... I "read" this via audio-book this summer during lots of road trips. I decided on it after seeing it on the High School Required Reading List and remembering that I'd always meant to read it. I am not really good at picking up on spiritual metaphors, but I LOVED this book and all the hidden meanings and indirect commentary about the spiritual nature of humanity. In fact, loved it so much that I walked out of the play at intercession because I was so disappointed in how they had left out everything I'd love from the book so far. (don't stone me all you Wicked play lovers!) Thumbs up, recommend it (the BOOK that is)!
  
• What is the What by Dave Eggars... I grabbed this book to prepare for my summer trip to Sudan with Seed Effect. I was educated through reading not only about Sudan, the harsh civil war there, and the aftermath, but I also got to read the story of a refugee's journey in the U.S. Refugees are something new(er) on my radar and I've been trying to learn as much as I can about their lives. So, bonus-- learned about Sudan & refugees. Thumbs up, recommend it!
  
• Dreams of My Father by Barak Obama... I figured since he's our president, I probably should hear his story. I read his other book back in the spring which was a lot more about his goals and aspirations for our country's potential. This book was a portrait of his childhood, his make-up, his history (up until going to Law School). He was asked to write it after becoming the first black man to become the head of Harvard's Law Review. Its tone is pre-political and I enjoyed it! Sure, read it.
  
• Interrupted by Jen Hatmaker (see my previous full post review here.)... glowing reviews from me. Super-thumbs-up, everyone should read it!
  
• Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali... this was a re-read for me. I had first read Infidel in 2007 and was moved by the descriptions she told about the lives of women in the Muslim World. This time, I re-read the book looking at her story as the memoir of a refugee. She lived as a refugee almost her entire life, from one country to the next. Both in African countries, and the West. Her stories about refugee life alone (regardless of religion) are POWERFUL. I was glad I took the time to change lenses and receive a new kind of heartbreak from this book. Thumbs up, recommend it!
  
• Outcasts United by Warren St. John... I picked this book to help my refugee education too. Its the story of a women in a small town outside of Atlanta who started a soccer team for refugee youth. They are discriminated against, persecuted, mistrusted, and mistreated. Its a sad story, but has some hope as they overcome those obstacles. Apparently its being turned into a movie. Sub-par writing, if you ask me, but the story itself makes for your motivation to keep reading. Sure, read it.
  
• Tortured in the Name of Islam by Setaareh Shahbazz... Oh my word, this was a tough book to read. Super short, a complete personal essay about a woman who became a follower of Christ in Iran and who was ultimately imprisoned for it. It is her spoken testimony written on paper. Its rough, detailed, sad, and yet inspiring at the same time. To see how she was able to persevere and to witness Christ to her captors was amazing. Warning, she's not a writer, but her story is powerful. Thumbs up, recommend it!
  
• Christians Evangelistic Pocket Guide to Islam by Malcolm Steer... Andy's band and I read this before our trip to Turkey this September as part of our training. It's about 50 pages. Super basic. But super helpful. Boils the top issues down to a simple explanation and a simple response. Sure, read it.
  
• Tangible Kingdom by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay... This was a great follow up book for me after having read Hatmaker's Interrupted in July. It picked up where she left off with what God was doing in my heart about getting more outside my comfort zone and into community and service (outside the 4 walls of the church). Our church is going through the "Tangible Kingdom Primer" as a whole church this fall, so I wanted to read the "prequel" so to speak. Thumbs up, recommend it!
  
• Muslims Next Door by Shirin Taber... I read this short practical book about how Muslims are just about everywhere in the U.S. and we should treat them with love and respect. Taber gives practical steps to help us be educated about this culture, this religion, and how we can be kind and not offensive. Sure, read it.

Nothing I would say "don't waste your time reading". Which means I guess I chose well this summer.

Rise & Shine

Andy's been writing songs for a new record (which should be out in about 6 months) and he introduced one to our church yesterday: Rise & Shine. Each fall, our church goes through a Vision Series to get everybody on the same page about our call to live on mission in the CITY & for the NATIONS. This Sunday, Matt kicked off the vision series with a challenge to us from Acts 1:8. He asked: What did a 1st century Christian look like? And do we, today, look anything like that? It was convicting and powerful.

Andy thought the message was a good fit to roll out the new song because the idea of it is-- it's time for us Christians to step up and be the hands and feet of Christ. To download a free copy of the song, click here. I am so proud of Andy. This song really resonates with my spirit and where God has me lately. But I also believe it will speak to a whole generation of Christians out there who are feeling the itch to rise & shine! I also recommend you listen to Matt's sermon: Powerful Witness of the Resurrection (click here)-- you will be stirred.

Here's the lyrics to the new song too...

Rise & Shine (by Andy Melvin)
We were once Your enemy
Now displayers of Your mercy
Called from darkness into light
To be the very hands and feet of Christ
So in the Name that saves
Let Your love ignite a flame in us

We've got rise and shine
We've got to rise and shine
The light of the world alive in us
The hope of the world alive in us
We've got to rise and shine

To you repairers of the breach
To you restorers of these broken streets
For every hungry tongue
For all injustice done beneath the sun

We've got to rise and shine
The light of the world alive in us
The hope of the world alive in us
We've got to rise and shine

For the hopeless and the weary
For the broken and the needy
For Your glory, send Your Spirit
And let it rise

Book Review: Interrupted

My favorite piece of summer reading so far has been Jen Hatmaker's latest book, "Interrupted." It's Jen's personal account of how God shook up her & her husband's faith and started steering them to interact with & befriend "the lost, the least, and the last" in this broken world.

They've been church-going people since they were kids & vocational ministers their entire adult careers... yet in 2007 they couldn't shake the lingering question inside their heads "God, isn't there more?" She prayed and asked "God, raise up in me a holy passion." And God responded.

"Interrupted" puts words to an inner angst that has gnawed at my insides for almost 2 years now. I have been a Christian just long enough to have gotten a good hold of the "routines" of American Christian life-- I go to church weekly, pray & read the Bible almost daily... I have attended plenty of "Bible Studies" and classes on what we think, I've studied theology, I've read a billion Christian books-- I have learned plenty (that is NOT to say I know it all, or even anywhere close to it). But at the end of the day, what was I doing with any of it? Mostly just talking to other church people about it.

I feel sometimes like we are all just "playing church", and that can be a suffocating place at times (just being honest) because... well, here's the way Jen put it: "Why did I spend all my time blessing blessed people who should be on the giving side of the equation by now?" (p. 21) Answer: because its safe and because its comfortable.

Joey Shaw charged a group of us one time with the parable of the shepherd who went in search of the one lost sheep-- he left 99 other sheep behind to go and pursue the 1. Joey reminded us that we like to stay with the 99 because that's easy, its comfortable, its safe.

But if we want to act like Jesus, we go out from the flock, in search of the lost, the least, the last.

I am hungry. Hungry to serve outside the four walls of the church. In Austin. My city is full of poor people, hurting people, hungry people, beaten-down and broken people. Do I know any of them? Do I spend time with them? Do I know their stories? Have I listened and loved well? How much of my life (my time, my energy, my money, my sleep, my home, etc) have I sacrificed in order to love them well?

I am increasingly wondering... not just "have they HEARD about Jesus?" but "have they SEEN & EXPERIENCED Jesus through MY interactions with them?"

This book will challenge you to live beyond Christian comfort and mediocrity. It will tempt you to be crazy enough to actually DO things Jesus talks about in the Bible.

Africa in the Rear View Mirror

I have been home a week now from my time in Africa. I am fighting a nasty and uncomfortable intestinal parasite and avoiding any internet research that will only make me even more uncomfortable. And last night, all I could think to say between my sighs of discomfort was "Jesus is worth it!"

That's not a conditioned Christian response, it's just genuinely what my response was. From my gut, literally. For 2 weeks I traveled through Sudan, Uganda, and Ethiopia to investigate on my own what crazy things Jesus is up to in that part of the world. Let me tell you, HE IS PRESENT...

He is present in the pain,
in the poverty,
in the healing,
in the community,
in the heartbreak,
in the sickness,
in the church,
in the hunger,
in the orphanages,
in the widow's home,
in the recovery of alcoholics,
in the life of Birukti,
in the X-prostitutes' eyes,
in the mosque (trust me, He's THERE...),
in the homecomings of refugees...
JESUS IS PRESENT!

Whether we know about it over here in America, whether we participate in it (from home or while abroad), whether we ever believe it is even possible... Jesus is CONSTANTLY transforming broken lives in these countries. Jesus is hard at work moving, engaging, stirring, and above all LOVING the people in this corner of the world. As a witness, I testify that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever... a surrendered servant who loves the "least of these".

Uncovering Paradigms in John 2:1-12

Day two of reading through John trying to see through the lenses of "shame/honor," "defilement/clean," and "fear/power" (from this blog post) and tripped upon all three in John 2:1-12. I am remembering that the culture in which Jesus & the Israelites lived was full of situations reflecting these worldviews.

In this passage, I see a situational example of the "shame/honor" paradigm. The hosts of the wedding party had run out of wine for the wedding celebration. The footnote in my Bible says: "To run out of wine was more than embarrassing; it broke the strong unwritten laws of hospitality." So Jesus, in this situation, was responding to a heartfelt need... the need to restore the honor of the hosts. And He was capable to do just that.

The "defilement/clean" paradigm is more subtle in this text, but it is still there. Jesus sees 6 stone water jars at the wedding party and uses those very jars to turn water into wine. Those jars were used for Jewish ceremonial washing. My Bible footnote reads: "According to the Jews' ceremonial law, people became symbolically unclean by touching objects of everyday life. Before eating, the Jews would pour water over their hands to cleanse themselves of any bad influences associated with what they had touched." This cultural notion of defilement still exists in many modern belief systems. Although we don't see Jesus doing an act of cleaning here, we learn that "defilement/clean" is a common paradigm at play in His audiences' lives. And we know that (later) Jesus provides the answer to 'how can I be clean?'

Third, we see the "fear/power" paradigm at play through the miracle that Jesus performs. There is not so much an expression of fear in this scenario, but a bold demonstration of Jesus' power. My Bible footnote reads: "The miracle showed Jesus' power over nature... Miracles are not merely superhuman events, but events that demonstrate God's power." For those who witnessed this miracle of Jesus, do you think they wondered- in awe- if He had the power to change or rule over the things in their lives that made them feel fear? Jesus has the power to meet our needs, the ones we are desperate for intervention in.

Although the 3 paradigms at work in this passage don't specifically address salvation in these instances, they DO point to it. Because they touch on the issue of JESUS' ability to restore HONOR where there is shame, to offer CLEANNESS where there is defilement, and to demonstrate POWER which alleviates fear. These things point to Jesus' character, His powerful ability, and His role in our salvation!

Isn't that COOL!

Why Do We Notice the "Guilt/Righteousness" Paradigm More?

(an excerpt from pg. 152-153 of this book.)

"The Bible is loaded with all four paradigms (that I wrote about in yesterday's blog-post), but for various reasons, we Christians, especially in the West, have been trained to take notice only of the "guilt/righteousness" paradigm. Here are some reasons:

1. Paul's letters are loaded with legal terminology such as guilt, penalty of sin, judgment, and justification.
2. Some of the early church fathers were not only theologians but also lawyers, such as Quintus Tertullian (ca. 160-225) and Aurelius Prudentius (ca. 348-405). Not only that, but some of the Reformers, such as Calvin, were also lawyers in addition to being theologians. So our commentaries are loaded with legal terminology.
3. The famous tools for evangelism that were created in America and spread all over the world through organizations and mission agencies all use legal terminology. The "Four Spiritual Laws" is just one example.
4. The famous evangelists whom God used in the twentieth century in the lives of many people used the "guilt/righteousness" paradigm. Billy Graham is the prime example.
5. Perhaps most of us reading this book, as we remember the message we believed that transformed our lives, woudl come to the conclusion that the message was based on the legal or "guilt/righteousness" paradigm.
6. Christian commentaries around the world are colored by the Western culture. English is the international language, the church in the West tends to be wealthy, and there is an abundance of well-known Bible scholars in the West. Therefore, it is more likely that a commentary written in English by an American Bible scholar using the "guilt/righteousness" paradigm would be translated into other languages than a commentary written in Arabic by an Egyptian Bible scholar using the "shame/honor" paradigm.

For these reasons and others, we have developed some blind spots when we read our Bibles. This blindness influences not only how we understand and present the GOOD NEWS of the GOSPEL but also how we interpret many texts in Scriptures."

Just thought this mapping of our influences was interesting to think about in light of yesterday's blog post.

How We View The World Affects How We Share the Gospel

Did you know that we (Americans) most often present the gospel to people on the basis of "guilt and righteousness"? And did you know that this paradigm* is only one of many lenses through which people in the world view life and need?

The "guilt/righteousness" paradigm exists in the Christian West, but the paradigms of "honor/shame" and "defilement/clean" exist mostly in Muslim countries. It is simply the more natural way that they look at the world. Worldviews like these exist not just in Muslim countries but spreads all the way from North Africa in the West to Korea and Japan in the East.

A fourth paradigm- "fear/power"- exists in the minds of folk Muslims all over the Muslim world and in some African (and Caribbean) countries where some people are occupied with the demonic and magic.

Now, did you know that although most of the way we read our Bible relates to the "guilt/righteousness" paradigm, the Bible actually addresses ALL FOUR of these paradigms. So, the challenge we face is learning to present the gospel with all four paradigms in mind, starting with the paradigm appropriate to the person we are connecting with.

For example, if I begin to share with a Muslim friend about humanity's sin problem and its resulting guilt, and how righteousness through Christ is the only way out of that condemning guilt... am I saying anything wrong? No. That is all true and of course is necessary to understand. But it just might not be the primary way in which my Muslim friend views the world, so it doesn't strike her as the most important issue she wants resolved in her life.

For her, maybe, she is more interested in knowing how Jesus can remove the shame she feels in her life and restore her to honor. Or maybe she is aching inside to feel clean and needs to know that Jesus removes her stains and makes her white as snow. Or maybe she lives in fear and would like to know how Jesus has overcome all the things in this world (and the next) that plague her with fear.

Tomorrow, I am starting a new study of the Gospel of John and I am going to pray that God helps me recognize in His Word the ways He teaches, heals, and gives hope to ALL people, addressing the key issues in all worldviews. I want to try and read the Bible like someone from another culture would so I can learn what stands out to them and what brings them peace.

(I learned about this subject and paraphrased the concept from this book.)

* Paradigm means: A set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them.

Carboard Signs

Cardboard Stories from The Austin Stone on Vimeo.

The Easter service video from our church, The Austin Stone.

God Grew Tired Of Us

After listening to the sermon last fall and seeing the video about refugees, I knew that the seeds which had already been planted in me were watered and fertilized. But then another piece of the puzzle fell into place. I was checking out movies at Blockbuster when the the cashier told me that I had a free rental from the "old movie aisles". So I went and browsed the Independent Film and Foreign Film sections (cuz Andy likes those) and saw the cover for "God Grew Tired of Us".

I had heard the title, heard it was good, but literally had NO IDEA what it was about. It was a Sundance Award Winner and the rest of the check-out line was waiting on my quick decision, so I grabbed it and ran. I didn't even bother to read the back cover before putting it in the DVD player and pressing PLAY. Check out the trailer here:

Oh--my--gosh--, it was so timely. And powerful! It was about Sudanese Refugees. It followed a group of men from the time of their exodus from Sudan, to their time living in a refugee camp in Africa, through their move & transition to America, and finally through the first 4 years of their lives here. It is incredible. It gave me a look into how people in the U.S. could help refugees adjust and get on their feet here. You have to rent this movie... it will stir your heart to care about these new neighbors here in America (and Austin).

The Theme of Refugees

If you read my last post about getting to serve in the Sudanese Refugee School in Cairo, you'd notice I mentioned God has been developing a theme in my life since 2007... a theme of being interested in and caring about refugees.

It started when I read the personal memoir of a Somali refugee in The Netherlands (Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali). The first part of her book described her life before fleeing as a refugee. The second part of the book describes her life as a refugee in a Western country. And even after she was settled in her new country, she also served for years as a translator for other refugees. The stories she told about the lives of refugees were so crazy to hear! I literally wrote in the margin of the book several times: "If only there were refugee camps in Austin!" and "I wonder how someone in Austin could help refugees." I read several more books with similar stories and continued to highlight and underline stories about refugees and still wondered "are there refugee camps in the States I could get involved in?"

Low and behold, during our church's fall vision series they aired a video of people in our church who were "living missionally".

Synergy from The Austin Stone on Vimeo.In the video I learned that:
A) there are refugees from all over the world RIGHT HERE in Austin! and
B) that there are volunteer opportunities to serve the refugees RIGHT HERE in Austin!
WHAT?! How exciting is that!!

So, I got online and checked out Caritas to see about volunteering with their organization to help the refugees here in my city. It was so easy. I filled out the application, had an interview, took their training classes, and am about to get my first client. I am thrilled! Stay tuned for more info on serving refugees here...