Spanish Bibles for Kids

Esmerelda is a precious friend of ours. She cleans houses for a living, but above even that, she is a fierce prayer warrior and inspiring follower of Christ. Two Christmas' ago, she and her family decided to drive to interior Mexico to share the gospel. They took $500 and clothed hundreds of people, fed even more, told everyone they met about the hope they have in Christ, and ministered to the poor, the least, and the lost. Even their young son was eager to witness to the children he met.
This coming Christmas break, they are going back. They are aware of the current safety issues in Mexico, but are determined to yield to God's call and trust Him for their protection. They will be driving across the border, kids in tow, and will spend 2 weeks reaching out to those who do not know Christ. They are taking boxes of gently-used clothes to hand out to those in need. And they have made a goal to collect 100 toys for 100 kids. They have almost met their goal, through God's provision.

Andy & I asked if they had thought about giving out Spanish-language Bibles to those they meet. Esmerelda thought that sounded like a great idea. So, Andy & I are committing to get 50 Spanish-language Jesus Storybook Bibles if we can get our friends/readers to match that with another 50... that way they can pass out 100 Bibles with their 100 toys for 100 kids! Anyone interested, please connect with me and I'll let you know where to have the Bibles shipped.

Our hope is that God's word will not return void. That as these children & their families begin to read God's word (after hearing the Good News from Esmerelda & her family) they will develop rich, lasting relationships with the author & perfecter of their faith!

Look How Far Seed Effect Has Come!

Seed Effect posted a new report on their blog today about the latest stats & stories. They are 1/4 of the way to their goal to reach 400 families this year. Go read the update!

And before this good news, I had been all ready to inform my blog-followers that Seed Effect just arranged a new deal with Capital One credit cards to get a "return on your investment" with your purchases. Check out this blog post too... Andy & I are gonna apply and I think you should ALLLL get one! :)

Seed Effect Gives Their First Loans

Today 19 lives were changed in Sudan. Through SeedEffect.org, micro-loans are being given out to help Sudanese entrepreneurs start or expand businesses to help provide for their families. Today is a GOOD DAY!



Between the near 20 women who went through the Seed Effect training, they have 40 children whose care they are responsible for. Today, these 20 loans will help feed (both spiritually & physically) 80 mouths. God is GOOD!

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.

Sudan Event in Austin This Week

My good friends Missy & Dave are coming to Austin! After my trip to Sudan this summer, Andy and I felt compelled to pitch in and spread awareness about the issues that are affecting the southern part of the country. Both spiritual and physical poverty are everywhere. And Missy & Dave are trying to do something about it. So we invited them to come tell their story to my friends living in Austin.

YOU'RE INVITED, if you live in Austin, to join us THIS THURSDAY (Aug 27) at Mercury Hall at 7pm.

We'd love to have as many people there to hear about what's currently happening in Sudan, and how Seed Effect (Missy & Dave's microfinance company) is working to alleviate poverty while at the same time spreading the gospel!

Andy & I are excited about the work God is doing among the poor in Sudan and we want YOU to have the chance to participate... Don't you want to impact poverty?

"Small Groups" Impact Ethiopia

(pictured above, our team visits the home of a young HIV widow living on the mountain.)

On my recent trip to Ethiopia, our team got to partner with a church in the capital that is really getting things done. Not because they have these big outreach "programs" or church wide service "projects". They are reaching their city because the people, the everyday believers in their church body, are living out their faith to those in their city that are hurting, hungry, sick, unemployed, and homeless by building relationships and serving them with love.

Our team visited several different "small groups**" from this church, and each one had a different heart and different vision to serve a segment of the local population (usually unchurched people).

One "small group" we worked with told us how they heard about a group of people, infected with HIV/AIDS, that move to a mountain outside the city because of rumors there is healing water there. Many of those infected with the disease become outcasts in their families and villages, they lose their jobs along with their ability to provide for their own needs, so moving to the mountain seems like their only choice. When they move, they are not only hoping to be cured, they also just seek to disappear, believing what society tells them: they are unworthy of love, care, or help.

(pictured above, our team visited homes of several HIV/AIDS sufferers up on the mountain to hear their stories and pray with them.)

When the "small group" heard about these people, numbering around 4,000 at the time, they began to pray-- asking God how do you want us to help them? For a year all this "small group" did was pray, research the needs and situations of the people on the mountain, and BUILD RELATIONSHIPS with them. Every person in their group would go to the mountain top a few times and week and just meet the people, spend time in their homes, bring them a decent meal, listen to their stories, and love them. During that year, the "small group" even held a feast on the mountain top, where they cooked for several hundred people.

After a year of knowing and understanding those they sought to love, this "small group" banded together to try to create sustainable, tangible ways to impact and better these peoples' lives. First they started a small business in order to employ those adults battling the disease. Many of the people infected with HIV/AIDS are refused work or are too sick to keep regular jobs. So the "small group" started a jewelry making business to provide work for the HIV/AIDS friends they had made. They give each person two 3-hr shifts a week and pay them several times the average wage in the city. The "small group" taught them how to make the jewelry, they provide the supplies, and they sell the finished products at NGO bazaars, local churches and to international teams that come through the city. This is a job they can do while they are weak or strong.

(pictured above, our team visited some of the jewelry makers hard at work.)

As they started the business, they decided to rent a small house on the road to the mountain top to make it easier for the sick people to get to work. This home quickly became not only a place for their job, but also a safe place to come and hang out. Like a small community center.

Once they started this new jewelry making business, the "small group" noticed many of the people brought their kids with them to work. And the kids would just sit around. So they decided to start helping the kids too. Now, every Saturday, they hold a Kids Club where they teach music, art, sports, and English (using the Bible and Bible stories). Plus they feed the kids a healthy meal while they're there.

(pictured above, Shara & Melissa from our team taught a lesson from the Bible about Zacchaeus & Jesus to the Kids Club.)

(pictured above, Birukti & Melissa join the kids in a game of jump rope during the sports class.)

With the Kids Club underway, then the "small group" started noticing that the parents would come with the kids on Saturdays and just sit around. So they started teaching a class for the parents during the same time-- different topics each week like health classes, parenting skills, computer skills, English, and a ton of other stuff.

(pictured above, a nurse from our team taught the parents' class health tips for HIV/AIDS sufferers.)

While we were in Ethiopia, the "small group" was gearing up to implement their latest idea to serve the HIV/AIDS population on the mountain. They are starting a library where adults, kids, or families can come and check out books to practice reading and learning English.

All of this started from one "small group"-- literally a few dozen believers who knew each other from church. They are sacrificing their own money, they are spending their own time, they are using their own ideas, they are investing PERSONALLY in the lives of those they want to serve. They are not waiting for the Big Church to help, they are simply being intentional themselves. They are meeting the needs of this HIV/AIDS community together, as a band of believers who love the suffering people in their town.

It was really neat to witness and really inspiring when I think about the "small groups" in my own church. I hope we are as visionary, bold, willing, and intentional as the pockets of believers I met in Ethiopia!

** There are so many buzz words for what Stone calls "missional communities"-- like small groups, community groups, home care groups, cell groups, home groups, core groups, etc.-- but for this post, I'll just call em "small groups". What I mean by that is a group of 10-30 Christians from the church that meet together weekly, outside of a Sunday church service, to share prayer, encouragement, service, Bible, etc.

Simple Ways to Live On Mission

Check out this short article from our church's "Missional Communities Blog" called EIGHT WAYS TO EASILY BE MISSIONAL.

How to Share the Gospel

My friend Ronnie preached at church on Sunday. To hear his sermon titled "Speak the Gospel", click HERE. But afterward, he posted an article about practical tips for how to share the gospel. I copied it below, but if you wanna read it on its original blog, click HERE.

Following up on Sunday’s sermon I thought it would be helpful to write an article providing practical ways to share the gospel. We preachers spend a lot of time conveying the need to share the gospel, but we don’t always give listeners the tools to get started. Sharing the gospel does not need to be as intimidating as we make it out to be. Being someone who consistently shares the gospel does not mean we run around our workplaces heralding “turn or burn.” I hope to lay out a blue print here that will help you strategize and implement regular gospel sharing in your everyday life in a natural and seamless way.

Before we get into the “how to” of evangelism I want to stress that in order to be an evangelist in your sphere of influence, you must be intentional. I think sometimes we have romantic notions of people coming to us, falling on their face, crying for us to tell them the path of salvation, but we must remember that Christ told us to “go”, not to wait. So it is imperative that we set our hearts to do fulfill the mission that Christ has called us to. If you don’t think it’s necessary to share the gospel, forget about reading this article; read your Bible instead. But if you have a heart to see more worshipers of Christ in your places of influence, read on and think deeply about how these steps would look in your life today. I would highly encourage you to read this with pen and paper in hand, following along with these steps as we go. That way, at the end you will be all ready to hit the ground running.

Step 1: Identify the top 4 topics that come up in regular everyday conversation

This is not the time to over-spiritualize. For most of us we will have answers that look like work, family, school, types of leisure, hobbies, health, politics, relationships, TV, movies, etc. These are the things that in everyday conversation, we will talk about 99% of the time with the people we encounter. Think about those “shooting the breeze” type conversations you have with people everyday at work, your neighborhood, or on the bus. What are the topics that are normally brought up? Probably something of the types listed above. The four things that I have the most conversations about would be family, work, sports, and health.

Step 2: Divide those 4 things into smaller parts

This sounds more difficult than it really is so let me use myself as an example. Here’s how I would divide my top 4 things:

Family: Wife, children (if I had any), where I grew up, where I live now
Work: (Keep in mind I work at a church) Teaching, meetings, leadership development. When you think about it for yourself, think about those work things that regularly come up in conversation; things like clients, sales, profit, ethics, whatever work topics you discuss most.
Sports: hockey, tennis, and basketball (these are the sports I talk the most about)
Health: Working out, eating right (When I have health conversations, those two are all I got)

99% of all the conversations I have on a daily basis, whether it is with strangers, acquaintances, friends, or coworkers, involve these things to some degree.

Step 3: Pick one of the major topics you listed in step 2 and practice connecting its smaller parts to the gospel.

Again, for the sake of clarity I will use myself as an example. This is where the rubber meets the road. You’ll need to think deeply about these issues. The question you need to ask yourself is how can I connect those everyday things in my life to a gospel conversation? Think about it: if we are Christians, then every single thing in our life should relate to Christ and the gospel in some way, and our goal is to think about what that connection is, then speak it. I will use my family topic to illustrate this step. Also keep in mind there could be a myriad of transitions from each of these topics so I am just including a couple for examples.

Wife

“Yeah, my wife and I argue a lot too. Sometimes it’s really hard to get past it and let things know, but when I consider that Christ’s love for me is limitless even though I offend Him every day, it seems ridiculous that I would hold a grudge against my wife.”

Children

“It wasn’t until I had children that I fully realized the love that God has for me. Because of what Christ did for me on the cross, the Bible says that I am really a child of God and all of those feelings I have towards my children, God has towards me in even greater degree. That’s amazing!

Where I grew up

“I grew up in Detroit, MI. It’s as bad as everyone thinks. The poverty there was horrendous. When I think of the people there with no hope, very little government assistance, forgotten in a lot of ways, it’s unbelievable to think that that is a perfect physical picture of what my life was like before I came to know Jesus.”

Where I live now

“I live in south Austin, near I-35 and Slaughter. The best thing about that place is Southpark Meadows shopping center which is the largest retail area in Austin. I love to go to the Borders there and sit and read on my day off.” (This is where many will ask what you like to read) “I’ll go there and spend some time reading my Bible or some other theological book that talk about how great God is and how beautiful Christ is.”

Practice, practice, practice

Invite a Christian friend, roommate, or spouse to have mock conversations with you about the things you listed above, then practice making transitions to the gospel. There are a host of transitions from a variety of angles so get creative. This does take practice, but it will definitely give you confidence and show you how easy it is to make simple gospel-centered statements in everyday conversations.

Step 4: Next time it comes up in real conversation, make the connection!

Realistically speaking, if you do not make a mental note to make these connections, you will probably squander the opportunity. A couple of things to keep in mind here: first, BE INTENTIONAL! If you do not set your mind and heart to share the gospel then it will just fall by the wayside. Pick a couple specific people each day, pray for God to allow you a conversation, and then make the commitment to speak the gospel into their lives. Secondly, we must remember that Jesus is an offense to a lot of people. It would be misleading for me to convey that you won’t have any awkward conversations. To some we will be the aroma of death and to some we will be the aroma of life (2 Cor. 2:15-16) and which means it is important to remember that not everyone will be receptive and accommodating to the truth of Christ. But be intentional and let God do what He desires to do.

Finally, chances are in the beginning you will be much more timid and apprehensive about making the gospel transitions. Don’t get down on yourself, pray for more boldness, and live another day. God will always be faithful to provide us with opportunities.

Step 5: Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the rest of the topics you listed

Simple as that. Think about it: if you are faithful to complete these steps, you will have a gospel presenting arsenal that targets every single one of your daily conversations! I do not want to imply that speaking the gospel is as easy as falling off a log, but it can be much simpler than we make it out to be. God is the one who saves yet we must be intentional to speak the gospel saving truth to those around us; now go out there and make disciples!

Habitat for Humanity Egypt Director in Austin

I want to invite you to help me welcome the National Director of Egypt’s Habitat for Humanity, Yousry Makar. Mr. Makar is in Austin for a short visit and we are gathering anyone interested in learning more about the spiritual climate of Egypt, poverty & development in that country, or about Habitat’s work there to join us on Thursday, May 7th, at 7pm at The Austin Stone’s church offices. We will have a Q&A for Yousry and a short informational presentation, and we hope to encourage Yousry in the work of mercy ministry in Egypt.

Habitat for Humanity—Egypt’s mission is to demonstrate the love of Jesus, practically, by helping families to gain simple, decent, healthy, afforable housing in all parts of Egypt. Last year alone, Habitat built 2,445 homes in 25 different communities across Egypt. Although the cost of an average home built by Habitat for Humanity in the U.S. is $90-100,000, the cost to complete a Habitat home in Egypt averages $1300. Many lives are touched and entire communities are impacted, both economically and spiritually.

The Austin Stone sent a team to Egypt in February 2009 to work with Habitat for Humanity. They built homes in a small village in central Egypt for a week and loved every minute. They spent time with Yousry and are eager to introduce him to more of you from Austin Stone. Here is a blog post from one of the team members describing their time with Habitat.

We encourage you to come and hear more about Habitat this Thursday (May 7th at 7pm at the church office). Bring your family, friends, community group… If you can’t come, pass this along to someone you think might enjoy it. Please RSVP to atxanna@gmail.com so we know how many snacks and drinks to have on hand (but even if you forget to RSVP, you can still come).

"Piper's" New Hip-Hop Video

Desiring God's media team partnered with Reach Records to make a hip-hop video encapsulating the message of John Piper's book Don't Waste Your Life. It's reallllly good... check it out below.

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.

Pinching Myself on Easter

Today I am reflecting on how powerfully God is moving around the Arab World... and it's making my Easter worship just awesome! Because it is reminding me of God's creativity in drawing each of His children into relationship with Him. He has no limits! The whole world, creation and all created things, is at His disposal to help declare who Jesus is and the message of hope that He brings.

Here's a small sampling of stories that are helping me pinch myself today at the reality of my big, crazy-awesome God! And these are stories I have heard FIRST HAND while traveling the world. They are not rumors, they are REAL stories of God's work!

• A woman came to Christ and prayed for God to keep her safe from her husband while she conducted a Bible study in their home each week (she was a secret believer). After praying each week, God makes her husband deaf and paralyzed just for the time that her group meets and then brings him out of it. God's done this every week for 8 years!
• A widow had a dream where she was trapped in a room with no windows or doors and no way to get out. And her dead husband appears in the room and she asks him, 'how do I get out?' And he tells her Jesus can get you out. She wakes up and began to ask people, 'who is this Jesus?' (that she'd never heard of before) until she found someone who could explain and eventually she came to Christ.
• When one woman was praying to God for answers- asking 'what is the truth- Islam or Jesus?'- a cloud rolled into the sky and spelled the name 'JESUS' in Arabic. She screamed and started crying and ran to her bathroom to baptize herself.
• During Muslim prayers, one man started to see the image of a bright cross on the floor in front of him each time he bowed face-down on his prayer rug. It kept freaking him out and when he told his family, they thought he'd gone insane and put him on medications for mental illness. After a long time, and the cross consistently appearing to him, he eventually came to a relationship with Jesus.
• When a national newspaper ran a front page article aggressively blasting the Evangelical Church for evangelizing by putting Christian tracts on car windshields in a small neighborhood, they also ran a FULL copy of the tract with the article, on the front page for the whole country to read!

And THAT is just a small taste of our BIG and WONDERFUL, redeeming-love God! Happy Easter everybody. We worship THAT same God!

I Helped Build a Roof

While serving in Egypt, our team partnered with Habitat for Humanity International. For four glorious days, we volunteered in small villages in central Egypt, along the Nile River Valley. With small town populations of about 1000, our presence became the village spectacle. Each day, we would report to the Habitat offices, gather up our tools and assignments for the day, and head out to the home site to build.
Habitat for Humanity in Egypt has some simple goals in mind when helping improve the homes of the region. First, they work to separate the animals from the people inside the home. Many of the villagers live all together with their animals, kids, grandparents, etc all in the same room and/or the same first floor. For sanitary reasons, this is not a healthy living situation, so Habitat tries to educate the families about the need for separation. (the photo below is of the first floor of someone's home... not a barn.)
Second, they work to bring running water and sewage to the homes. We heard reports of one village in particular where indoor toilets were not common… when the women would go out to the fields after dark to go to the bathroom for the day, they were getting raped—8 women even got pregnant as a result and subsequently committed suicide. Who knew indoor plumbing could be so valuable in a community.

And third, because many of these village homes have been in the family for generations, they are very old and made of mud-brick. Many of the homes are all but collapsing in on the families. So, Habitat tries to educate the families about good, lasting, and safe building materials and designs. Simple concepts, simple goals… together they make a major impact on a community in the areas of health and safety… simple ways to serve these families. (the photo below is of a mud-brick home that is falling apart.)
Some of the tasks our team did: shoveling & sifting sand; hauling sifted sand from the street upstairs to the room we were building: troweling cement/sand mix onto the brick walls; assembly line moving bricks and stones from the street upstairs to the roof to add another story; and finally, roofing—which turned out to be my favorite!

Many of the homes in the villages had inadequate roofs—just a few wooden beams draped across the tops of walls with giant piles of dried palm branches and other tree branches laid on top to create a make-shift roof. These roofs didn’t do much to protect the family from the elements of hot summers or cold winters, or from the usual Egyptian sandstorms. Not to mention the occasional snake that would fall through the branches onto the family inside. (the photo below shows the make-shift palm branch roofing typical in the village.)
Habitat gave us a two-day assignment of building a new roof for a family who had just added a second story. Scary as it was, because the wood was super-thin, we hammered down giant 1” x 6” pieces of wood onto wooden beams laid over the tops of the new walls that were built. We were all up on top walking and working on our new creation as it expanded. In two days, we finished the whole roof. After you lay down the wood layer, then the family would lay plastic over it and pour a thin layer of cement on top to seal it. Very basic… very. But it was a major improvement for the family.
(the photo above is of a team member, Heather, building the roof; the photo below is some of the team standing on what they built after the first day.)
Our time spent working in the villages was so enjoyable. The work was easy and fun. The families whose homes we worked on were so kind and sweet. And the rest of the people from the village were a joy to meet and spend time with. Every day we would gather a small crowd of on-lookers who were curious about our work. (in the photo below, you can see the small crowd of bystanders watching us work.)
On multiple occasions we were asked: “Why are you doing this?” Which was such a great opportunity for us to tell people about Jesus. He loved us, and so we loved them, and wanted to demonstrate our love for them through serving them. An easy answer, and a joy to declare over and over. Each girl on our team connected with someone from the village every day, and we were able to use the universal language of love to bond and befriend. Working with Habitat was such a unique chance to do a tangible act of kindness while also getting to share (with those who asked) where our motivation comes from… love.

Conversational Opportunities at the Cairo Bookfair

During our recent trip to Egypt, my friends and I volunteered in the Bible Society booths at the annual Cairo Bookfair. The booth where I worked we stationed two girls at the front entrance smiling & greeting passing women, hoping they might come inside, and we stationed two girls at the back of the booth praying for the customers we saw and paying extra attention to the women who came in. All the staff workers at the Bible Society booth were men and they mentioned that the ladies would be more comfortable coming in to shop if they looked in and saw some women already inside.
Primarily our volunteer service was prayer (just in our heads). Watching each customer who came in to browse or buy, asking the Spirit to lead us in the exact prayers He wanted us to offer on their behalf. The customers were made up of a wide variety of people… orthodox Christians, evangelical Christians, born-again believers, nominal or cultural “Christians”, as well as cultural Muslims and even more fanatical looking Muslims. No one came in the booth to cause trouble. They all came to shop. And all we sold were Bibles & Christian materials.

At one point, I was standing along the back corner of the booth when I was approached by four Muslim men with questions. Two of the four had the physical appearance of quite serious Muslims, and the other two looked like average Egyptians. The first man showed me that he had just purchased an Arabic New Testament, already bagged and paid for, but when he wanted to ask a few questions. I found it interesting that he would choose to approach me when there were several men in the booth that worked for the Bible Society, but I was happy to try and answer his questions. (Because we didn't take pictures inside the shop, I drew silly pen-layouts to show you the story unfolding.)
His first question was “Can you explain to me what it means by ‘version’ or ‘translation’? Does this mean there are different versions of interpretations of the Bible?” Great question! As we began to discuss the real meaning behind this terminology, I noticed that the man would not look me in the eye, or really, wouldn’t look in the direction of my face as a whole. He stared down about 45 degrees and looked off to the left of my body the whole time we talked. I expected this, culturally, but in the moment it was really different to experience.

After talking through his first question, he went on to explain that he was “of course, a Muslim” but that he felt it was important for him to learn about other religions so that we can have a good dialogue between faiths. I agreed and shared with him that I too had studied Islam with this very same motivation. He told me that he and his 3 friends were all students at the Al Azhar University… which I knew to be arguably the foremost institution for Islamic teaching in the world. I must admit at this point I started to get a little nervous. Not for my safety, by any stretch. It’s just that I more avidly started praying for God to give me just the right words to be able to answer his questions with respect and wisdom because I felt this was a well-educated Muslim with serious, thought-out questions.

Next, he asked me “I heard one time that a woman came to Jesus and asked Him to heal her, but Jesus said ‘no’ because He came for the ‘lost sheep of Israel, the Jews.’ Is that true? Did Jesus come for the Jews or for the whole world?” Wow, huh? What a gift of a question! This opened a healthy discussion and gave me many opportunities to point him to multiple places in Scripture that affirm Jesus came for everyone. It was a lively discussion and although my heartbeat was through the roof, I was beaming from ear to ear because of the seeds God was planting.

After that, the man asked me for my email so that we could “continue this discussion” online as he read his new Bible. I knew that request crossed the cultural lines of male-female interaction, so I quickly invited the two Bible Society staff (men) to join the conversation offering to let the man exchange emails with one of them to keep in touch. At this point, the staff & the 4 men started an even more lively discussion (or perhaps it turned debate) with me stuck in the middle—literally. I was pinned in the corner with both groups on either side, loudly and passionately discussing their questions and beliefs.
I was uncomfortable on one level because they spoke 80% in Arabic and only 20% in English, so I was lost but obviously still a part of the group discussion. But on another level I was thrilled to be a prayer-plant right in the middle of this holy conversation! As each man spoke back and forth, I was furiously praying in my head for God to allow His Truth to shine above all other thought… praying for the question-askers to have their questions answered… praying for the staffers to have the right words… praying for ears to hear on both sides. It was truly awesome to be just where I was.

As the dialogue continued, more and more men were filing in the store and gathering in a wider circle, listening to the discussion—some overtly, and some doing a bad job of fake-shopping while they eavesdropped. At one point, I counted 25 people in our circle. I prayed as my eyes wandered from face to face to face of the silent bystanders believing that God drew them there for a purpose too. He wanted them to hear answers to questions they may never have been bold enough to ask themselves.
After about 30 minutes, the conversation came to a polite close. I respectfully complimented the 4 men for being learners and seekers of God’s Truth and they left the store. That was my highlight moment from our time at the Bookfair because it was such a unique opportunity to carry on a Q & A about who God is, what Jesus was about, and where you can learn more… in the very Bible we were selling at that booth. I thank God for the gift of that interaction and believe that in His time, any seeds planted will reap a harvest for His glory!

The Bible Society of Egypt

On my recent trip to Egypt, I had the chance to work with (and shop at) The Bible Society of Egypt. In Egypt, it is illegal to give Christian materials away for free because that is considered "evangelizing" non-Christians, but it is legal to sell the Bible and other materials... for realllly cheap. Enter The Bible Society~

The Bible Society of Egypt has three main goals: to make the Bible affordable (so that anyone who wanted a copy could get one without money being an issue), available (they are creative in making it accessible to the people who want it... including services like free home delivery, a hotline number, and 12 bookstores), and understandable (making the Bible available in the language of the people and in simpler forms, like audio and video, that can be understood by less-literate and illiterate customers).
These are the Arabic Christian materials I came home with to be able to have on hand for friends in Austin who might want one: 6 different children's books about Jesus; 3 mini-books about the parables of, teachings of, and encounters with Jesus; the Jesus film; an Arabic New Testament; and an English-Arabic parallel Bible. I will pray over these materials until God shows me who to give them to.
Our team stopped to visit the Bible Society headquarters and took a tour. We were truly kids in a candystore.
Earlier in the day, we volunteered for the Bible Society at the Annual Cairo Bookfair. They had three different booths where they were selling their matierals. One booth was in the educational books section, one booth was in a Christian-only section, and the third booth was in the used books section of the fair. The Bookfair is a huge event that runs for two weeks out of every year and attracts people from all across the Middle East. It takes place at a giant convention facility that spans several acres and includes many large event halls (It reminded me of Fair Park in Dallas).

I was stationed at the booth in the used book area and we saw lots of traffic (I'm thinking because of the economy, everyone was looking for the deals). Some of our team would stand out front and smile and wave at the women passing by, inviting them to come in, and some of our team would stand in the booth itself to help customers and make them feel comfortable asking questions and shopping. Mostly, we served as pray-ers for all those faces we saw come in looking for a Bible. We had many veiled and skull-capped customers that were nervously buying their (I'm assuming) first Bibles, and plenty that were bold and confident as they made their purchases too. To be sure, God's Word is a gift to be treasured and you could tell that many of the shoppers were so excited and grateful to be able to buy their own copy of the Bible!

At our booth, you could buy a copy of a New Testament AND a Jesus Film together for 2.50 Egyptian pounds (the equivalent of 50 CENTS U.S.)! Generally, the Bible Society sells their materials for less than half of what it costs to produce them. So they are always losing money, but they fundraise from non-profits to make up the difference (see last paragraph for details).
Above is a picture of the indoor hall where they had an "all-Christian" floor (the second floor)... so that if you knew that's what you were looking for, you could easily find it. The part of our team that worked this booth said they had just as many non-Christian shoppers as they did Christian... and you knew those people were aware of what section they were in. It was no mistake, they were choosing to seek out Bibles. Awesome!

The Bible Society has been in Egypt for 125 years and they are expanding their methods to try and get a Bible in the hand of every Egyptian! Join them by praying for this goal to be reached. You can also help support the Bible Society by "buying" 10 Bibles a month... by donating $35/month, you can help support the costs to sell 10 Bibles to seeking customers. Or if you want to give even more, for $350/month you can Adopt-a-Bookshop, just like you would support a missionary overseas. You get monthly updates on the store and its staff and all the latest projects they're involved in. It's a great way for you and your small group to invest in an overseas project together! To read more about all their programs, check out their annual report online.

Book Review: The Crescent Through the Eyes of the Cross

Last weekend, an Egyptian friend of mine was visiting Austin and he brought me a gift... the latest book from his mentor, Dr. Nabeel T. Jabbour called "The Crescent Through the Eyes of the Cross". Dr. Jabbour is an Arab Christian who was born in the Middle East and, as an adult, lived in Egypt (for 25 years) which is close to my heart, before he was kicked out and blacklisted by their government. After this, he moved to Colorado and took a job at The Navigators home office, overseeing all Middle Eastern programs.

My friend said that of all the books he's read on Christianity and its philosophy towards, strategy for, and relationship with Islam & Muslims, this was by far his favorite. He'd already read it three times since its recent release and was oozing with glowing remarks. So, after returning from our lunch, I sat down to read my new book... and I read... and read... and read... until I finished the last page with heavy eyes in the wee hours of the morning, 8 hours later. A first for me.

He was right. I couldn't put it down. What was different about this book, from others I've read on Islam & Christianity's response, was that it primarily sought to address WHY it is so difficult for Muslims to convert & get integrated into Christianity. Jabbour breaks it down into 3 main reasons (each with loads of detail in their arguement): 1) the message itself, 2) us, the messengers, and 3) the Muslim receiver of the message. I know that sounds broad, and it is, but then he goes on through the rest of the book to explain from a Muslim's point of view why each of these three things is a stumbling block for them to receive the gospel of Jesus Christ. He uses real conversations and real dialogues he's had with hundreds of Muslims over the long years of his life.

But of course, as a follower of Jesus, I want to share the hope and love I have in Christ with all my friends, Muslims included... so does this book just tell me why that will never happen? No. In fact, what it served to do in my head was give me a portal into Muslim worldview and how they see things completely differently. If I can seek to understand Muslims and how they view the world, then my methods of loving, serving, and sharing with them will ultimately change.

I plan to blog about some of the points that really hit home for me in a different post, so I can ellaborate and include excerpts from the book. So, for now, let me just say, this book will definately turn into one of my "top recommended resources" on the subject to all those who share my desire to know and love Muslims more.

The one thing I hated about this book was the title... why is it that every book about Christian-Muslim relations or study have to use the same 2 words: Crescent & Cross. I get it... they are the "symbols" for each religion, but each book has way more unique insights and points to make other than the broad statement (or really the totally non-defining statement) of the title. That, however, is my only beef with this book.

Book Review: Secret Believers

This week, I took a short road trip to go visit Andy for the night... he's out of town writing some new songs and I hadn't seen him in a while. So, for my drive, I had been saving this great little book-on-tape: "Secret Believers" by Brother Andrew. Kimberly Stewart had recommended it to me back in the spring and she was right-- it was great!
I actually bought this as Christmas presents for some friends this year too because Christianbook.com had them on sale (and still do!! $1.99 each for the audio CD). All in all it was about 4 plus hours of audio and is the abridged version of the book, but was still a page turner (as much as an audio book can be... ha ha).

Brother Andrew, the author, has been working in countries with high Muslim populations for years and years and this book spans over a several years too. It is a composite of a collection of believers he knew in the Middle East. So although these stories are real, they are written in a way so as not to compromise the believers safety.

The storyline covers: How God drew each believer to follow Jesus... What plans for fellowship God put in their lives... What ways God asked them to serve Him... and of course, the persecutions they faced because of their faith. It was a story of their passion and heart for God that would be such a stretch for an American Christian, yet it is their daily life.

If you want to read a snapshot of what being a follower of Jesus is like in the Middle East, pick up this book (or CD). :) To read an excerpt, click here.