Friday, October 2, 2009
A Visit From the Epic National Team
Adrian and Jenny from the Epic National leadership team came to visit 2 weeks ago and help us test a new tool for discussion groups at Hunter College and Queens College. This is our team (left side + Jon [back]), with Adrian and Jenny and some of their relatives.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Dull Knives...dull Christians?
As a friend and I were cutting up fruit last week, we chatted about cooking and knives, and one of us commented on on how there was nothing more dangerous than a dull knife. It looks like a knife and feels like a knife, but when you go to use it, it slips and is more likely to cut you than whatever you were intending to cut.
As I thought about that, I realized that the same is probably true of Christians, or people who call themselves Christians when we say one thing and live another. We say that we care about people and then turn right around to gossip about them behind their back. We say that God is first, and then hole up in our rooms to study 24/7. We say God loves everyone, and then we judge people for the way that they speak, their sexual orientation, or their religious views.
One prime example would be the Westboro "Baptist Church," a group that has been traveling the country protesting everything from Obama to Canada to Catholicism, and most recently at Columbia's own Jewish Theological Seminary (on Thursday 9/24), Jewish people. Columbia's Intervarsity Christian Fellowship went to counter-protest and wrote this article in the student newspaper:
http://www.columbiaspectator.com/2009/09/28/westboro-exalted-will-be-humbled
It's easy to look at Westboro Baptist Church and ridicule them and denounce them for how ridiculous they are and how much they're hurting people. But when it comes down to it...we are all part of the problem; we all misrepresent Christ. Let us hope, pray, and strive towards a portrayal of Him that is accurate.
As I thought about that, I realized that the same is probably true of Christians, or people who call themselves Christians when we say one thing and live another. We say that we care about people and then turn right around to gossip about them behind their back. We say that God is first, and then hole up in our rooms to study 24/7. We say God loves everyone, and then we judge people for the way that they speak, their sexual orientation, or their religious views.
One prime example would be the Westboro "Baptist Church," a group that has been traveling the country protesting everything from Obama to Canada to Catholicism, and most recently at Columbia's own Jewish Theological Seminary (on Thursday 9/24), Jewish people. Columbia's Intervarsity Christian Fellowship went to counter-protest and wrote this article in the student newspaper:
http://www.columbiaspectator.
It's easy to look at Westboro Baptist Church and ridicule them and denounce them for how ridiculous they are and how much they're hurting people. But when it comes down to it...we are all part of the problem; we all misrepresent Christ. Let us hope, pray, and strive towards a portrayal of Him that is accurate.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Jesus' "Proposal"
A friend sent this to me. I thought you might find this interesting.
The disciples must have thought Jesus was crazy. Seriously. I can only imagine their faces -- So confused, so perplexed, uncomfortably glancing back and forth between each other, wondering if they had misheard, wondering if someone could help them understand. Meanwhile, you got Jesus, unnerved, unfazed, just sitting there coolly, looking them dead in the eyes, asking them to marry Him.
Yes, you heard me right…marry Him. With nothing more than a cup of wine, no less, the Lamb of God was proposing. So you can imagine their confusion right? “Wait. What? Come again? Jesus, you feeling alright brotha? I mean, I don’t think that I’m exactly what you’re looking for! You want to think about what you’re saying for a minute?”
Of course, we don’t see it that way, because we’re not Jewish. But they were, and they did. See it that way, I mean. “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” We hear these words and we think Communion, Eucharist, Last Supper. The disciples heard this and they’re thinking wedding bells.
Apparently, “In those days,” when a Hebrew man decided to take for Himself a Hebrew woman, he’d go to his father and say, “Her, Dad. I want to make little rabbis with her.” So then the dad would go to her dad and they’d talk camels, or sheep, or whatever the payment was going to be, and after they’d settled on a figure, the groom would call in all his friends and family, set a table in the middle of a room, set the aforementioned girl down in front of said table, break out a cup, fill it with wine, and set it in front of her saying, “This is my covenant with you, take and drink it.”
And if she did, that was her answer. With a simple gulp and swig, she was saying, “I do,” and that was it. No rings, no fancy songs or dinners, just a cup and an invitation. And oh yeah, all their relatives sitting in the room watching. I mean, talk about pressure. But yeah, that was it. Her lips to the glass was the same as saying, “I accept your life, and I give you mine in return.” Now, If the girl said yes, “in those days,” she would then go immediately back to her home, where she would be known as, “one who was bought with a price.”
It’s true. That was her name. Kind of long and tedious, and extremely hard to shout out in a game of soccer, but that was it. And with her new identity, she would go back to her town, and start preparing for the wedding. And really, she’d just start waiting for future husband to finish what he had to do and come and get her.
What was he doing? Well, during the engagement, the groom’s primary responsibility was to build a mansion for him and his bride to be. Now girls, before you get too excited, let me explain. “Mansion” in Hebrew means, “apartment.” And what’s even better is that this apartment was actually more like an addition, because the groom would build it onto his parents pre-existing house. Yes. You heard me correctly. Their first home would be with the in-laws.
And right now, I can just imagine how many girls are thinking, “oh please don’t let me marry a Jewish boy.”
It’s true though. He would build his “mansion” onto the family “insula,” which is what they would call the family dwelling. You see, the entire family would just keep building on and building on until you had what was basically a city block, all comprised of one big bustling Jewish family. (And you thought My Big Fat Greek Wedding was bad). Crazy, but also true.
Well, as you can imagine, this process could take quite a while. I mean, it’s a house for crying out loud. Some scholars say it was six months, or even a year before the poor guy was finished. And get this, the only one who could decide if it was finished was the father. So he’d be working and working and working, and every day looking to his dad, saying, “Are we done yet?” And I can just imagine the father messing with him. Taking his time, looking it over, and then just saying, “Almost.”
Could you imagine? Oh, the agony!
And to top it all off, the groom and the bride weren’t even allowed to talk to each other. Nothing. Nada. Zip. They couldn’t see or speak to one another during the entire engagement, except for one outlet. The best man. He’d be the instant messenger if you will. Taking notes back and forth between the doting couple. And those moments were probably pretty funny. “Here’s your note, ‘one who was bought with a price.’ Check yes, no, or maybe.”
Unbelievable.
But you know, how much more beautiful would that day be when the father finally approved? That day when the groom was finally finished, and he could gather up his homeboys, or ‘groomsmen’ as we westerners would say, and imperiously march into his fiance’s town?
Oh it was sweet.
And that’s just what he’d do. He’d get his bridal party together and they’d come to her house, and without any prior announcement or advanced warning, they would blow a shofar, which was a ram’s horn that served as a trumpet, and upon hearing it, the pining bride would come bustling out her front door and practically straight down the aisle, and into her beloved’s arms. The period of waiting and wanting would be over, and the two would be united at last to consummate their long-awaited union. Joy. Happiness. Little Rabbis… You know, all the good stuff.
So then, back to the dinner table with the 12. Can you sense where this is going? Jesus breaks into this marriage proposal, cup out, wine-filled, offering his covenant with them. They accept.
“I do” to Jesus. Gulp, gulp. “I accept your life, and I give you mine in return.”
So then, what does Jesus do? He explains how they have to spend some time apart. Naturally. Only this is going to be longer than a year. However, the best man was coming. His name? The Holy Spirit. So when Jesus leaves, off to get busy preparing a “mansion” for them, (“in my Father’s house there are many rooms”), he doesn’t leave them alone, but instead sends His own mediator, the Holy Spirit, to keep the messages going between Himself and his Beloved.
Meanwhile, the bride is left behind in her town, keeping watch, day and night, not knowing the day, time or hour that the bridegroom will appear. Until finally, after a long-awaited return, and we’re talking seriously, long awaited -- centuries and millennia! After this much awaited consummation, the Father alone will announce that the time has come, and Jesus will be coming back for all His faithful, all who are His bride. With a posse of angels and loud trumpet call of their own, He will take us home, to the marriage supper of the Lamb! And we will share in ever-increasing joy and intimacy with Him forever and ever.
As C.S. Lewis so brilliantly articulated, “Further up and further in!” And people still want to insist that Christianity is no more than a religion. I don’t know about you but in light of this information, it puts Jesus in an entirely different light. He’s no longer an ideal, or a belief system. He’s a person. And to put it more precisely, He is a groom in love with his bride.
And not just any bride, but a wayward, adulterous bride -- a bride who is half-hearted at best, chasing other lovers and other interests more than Him.
And still, He keeps on loving. He keeps on being faithful; he keeps his promises. In the Old Testament, He tells his prophet Hosea to marry an unfaithful woman, to show everyone the way He loves his people (see Hosea 3). In the New, He tells us that divorce will never be an option for Him (Phil 1:6). Over and over and over again, From Isaiah, to Ezekiel, to Ephesians, He tells us that we are not just his children, but we are his bride. Faithless though we might be, we are His, and He is ours.
And like I said before, this changes everything.
It changes the way I view prayer.
It changes the way I view marriage.
It even changes the reasons that I obey.
As Donald Miller once said, “it’s a far different thing to break a rule, than it is to cheat on a lover.”
I only pray that it changes things for you.
The disciples must have thought Jesus was crazy. Seriously. I can only imagine their faces -- So confused, so perplexed, uncomfortably glancing back and forth between each other, wondering if they had misheard, wondering if someone could help them understand. Meanwhile, you got Jesus, unnerved, unfazed, just sitting there coolly, looking them dead in the eyes, asking them to marry Him.
Yes, you heard me right…marry Him. With nothing more than a cup of wine, no less, the Lamb of God was proposing. So you can imagine their confusion right? “Wait. What? Come again? Jesus, you feeling alright brotha? I mean, I don’t think that I’m exactly what you’re looking for! You want to think about what you’re saying for a minute?”
Of course, we don’t see it that way, because we’re not Jewish. But they were, and they did. See it that way, I mean. “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” We hear these words and we think Communion, Eucharist, Last Supper. The disciples heard this and they’re thinking wedding bells.
Apparently, “In those days,” when a Hebrew man decided to take for Himself a Hebrew woman, he’d go to his father and say, “Her, Dad. I want to make little rabbis with her.” So then the dad would go to her dad and they’d talk camels, or sheep, or whatever the payment was going to be, and after they’d settled on a figure, the groom would call in all his friends and family, set a table in the middle of a room, set the aforementioned girl down in front of said table, break out a cup, fill it with wine, and set it in front of her saying, “This is my covenant with you, take and drink it.”
And if she did, that was her answer. With a simple gulp and swig, she was saying, “I do,” and that was it. No rings, no fancy songs or dinners, just a cup and an invitation. And oh yeah, all their relatives sitting in the room watching. I mean, talk about pressure. But yeah, that was it. Her lips to the glass was the same as saying, “I accept your life, and I give you mine in return.” Now, If the girl said yes, “in those days,” she would then go immediately back to her home, where she would be known as, “one who was bought with a price.”
It’s true. That was her name. Kind of long and tedious, and extremely hard to shout out in a game of soccer, but that was it. And with her new identity, she would go back to her town, and start preparing for the wedding. And really, she’d just start waiting for future husband to finish what he had to do and come and get her.
What was he doing? Well, during the engagement, the groom’s primary responsibility was to build a mansion for him and his bride to be. Now girls, before you get too excited, let me explain. “Mansion” in Hebrew means, “apartment.” And what’s even better is that this apartment was actually more like an addition, because the groom would build it onto his parents pre-existing house. Yes. You heard me correctly. Their first home would be with the in-laws.
And right now, I can just imagine how many girls are thinking, “oh please don’t let me marry a Jewish boy.”
It’s true though. He would build his “mansion” onto the family “insula,” which is what they would call the family dwelling. You see, the entire family would just keep building on and building on until you had what was basically a city block, all comprised of one big bustling Jewish family. (And you thought My Big Fat Greek Wedding was bad). Crazy, but also true.
Well, as you can imagine, this process could take quite a while. I mean, it’s a house for crying out loud. Some scholars say it was six months, or even a year before the poor guy was finished. And get this, the only one who could decide if it was finished was the father. So he’d be working and working and working, and every day looking to his dad, saying, “Are we done yet?” And I can just imagine the father messing with him. Taking his time, looking it over, and then just saying, “Almost.”
Could you imagine? Oh, the agony!
And to top it all off, the groom and the bride weren’t even allowed to talk to each other. Nothing. Nada. Zip. They couldn’t see or speak to one another during the entire engagement, except for one outlet. The best man. He’d be the instant messenger if you will. Taking notes back and forth between the doting couple. And those moments were probably pretty funny. “Here’s your note, ‘one who was bought with a price.’ Check yes, no, or maybe.”
Unbelievable.
But you know, how much more beautiful would that day be when the father finally approved? That day when the groom was finally finished, and he could gather up his homeboys, or ‘groomsmen’ as we westerners would say, and imperiously march into his fiance’s town?
Oh it was sweet.
And that’s just what he’d do. He’d get his bridal party together and they’d come to her house, and without any prior announcement or advanced warning, they would blow a shofar, which was a ram’s horn that served as a trumpet, and upon hearing it, the pining bride would come bustling out her front door and practically straight down the aisle, and into her beloved’s arms. The period of waiting and wanting would be over, and the two would be united at last to consummate their long-awaited union. Joy. Happiness. Little Rabbis… You know, all the good stuff.
So then, back to the dinner table with the 12. Can you sense where this is going? Jesus breaks into this marriage proposal, cup out, wine-filled, offering his covenant with them. They accept.
“I do” to Jesus. Gulp, gulp. “I accept your life, and I give you mine in return.”
So then, what does Jesus do? He explains how they have to spend some time apart. Naturally. Only this is going to be longer than a year. However, the best man was coming. His name? The Holy Spirit. So when Jesus leaves, off to get busy preparing a “mansion” for them, (“in my Father’s house there are many rooms”), he doesn’t leave them alone, but instead sends His own mediator, the Holy Spirit, to keep the messages going between Himself and his Beloved.
Meanwhile, the bride is left behind in her town, keeping watch, day and night, not knowing the day, time or hour that the bridegroom will appear. Until finally, after a long-awaited return, and we’re talking seriously, long awaited -- centuries and millennia! After this much awaited consummation, the Father alone will announce that the time has come, and Jesus will be coming back for all His faithful, all who are His bride. With a posse of angels and loud trumpet call of their own, He will take us home, to the marriage supper of the Lamb! And we will share in ever-increasing joy and intimacy with Him forever and ever.
As C.S. Lewis so brilliantly articulated, “Further up and further in!” And people still want to insist that Christianity is no more than a religion. I don’t know about you but in light of this information, it puts Jesus in an entirely different light. He’s no longer an ideal, or a belief system. He’s a person. And to put it more precisely, He is a groom in love with his bride.
And not just any bride, but a wayward, adulterous bride -- a bride who is half-hearted at best, chasing other lovers and other interests more than Him.
And still, He keeps on loving. He keeps on being faithful; he keeps his promises. In the Old Testament, He tells his prophet Hosea to marry an unfaithful woman, to show everyone the way He loves his people (see Hosea 3). In the New, He tells us that divorce will never be an option for Him (Phil 1:6). Over and over and over again, From Isaiah, to Ezekiel, to Ephesians, He tells us that we are not just his children, but we are his bride. Faithless though we might be, we are His, and He is ours.
And like I said before, this changes everything.
It changes the way I view prayer.
It changes the way I view marriage.
It even changes the reasons that I obey.
As Donald Miller once said, “it’s a far different thing to break a rule, than it is to cheat on a lover.”
I only pray that it changes things for you.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Strengths finder
One of our exercises during intern training was the Gallup Poll's Strengths Finder test (check out the book here), which appears to be growing in popularity. The test gives you your top 5 strengths out of 34 categories. Mine are:
1. Learner: I like to learn new things, and I like it when people teach me things. However, I have a hard time finishing or figuring out when to stop learning (ie, how much research do I really need to do for this talk or paper?)
2. Achiever: I work hard, and I like to see results. It also leaves me prone to perfectionism.
3. Deliberative: I'm thoughtful with my decisions, and even though I'm not good at coming up with ideas on my own, I'm good at finding holes in others' plans where they haven't thought through yet. Sometimes this means I'm slow to make decisions.
4. Relator: I prefer fewer close friends rather than many superficial friends, and I seek to deepen relationships. I used to be really frustrated when I felt like I was the only one initiating with friends until I learned that not everyone thinks like me.
5. Responsibility: I take ownership of what I say I'll do and I have high standards for myself. However, this also means that I can take on too much for myself, and that I have trouble delegating because I may not necessarily trust people to take care of things.
What are your strengths, and how do you do you seek to make them more effective?
1. Learner: I like to learn new things, and I like it when people teach me things. However, I have a hard time finishing or figuring out when to stop learning (ie, how much research do I really need to do for this talk or paper?)
2. Achiever: I work hard, and I like to see results. It also leaves me prone to perfectionism.
3. Deliberative: I'm thoughtful with my decisions, and even though I'm not good at coming up with ideas on my own, I'm good at finding holes in others' plans where they haven't thought through yet. Sometimes this means I'm slow to make decisions.
4. Relator: I prefer fewer close friends rather than many superficial friends, and I seek to deepen relationships. I used to be really frustrated when I felt like I was the only one initiating with friends until I learned that not everyone thinks like me.
5. Responsibility: I take ownership of what I say I'll do and I have high standards for myself. However, this also means that I can take on too much for myself, and that I have trouble delegating because I may not necessarily trust people to take care of things.
What are your strengths, and how do you do you seek to make them more effective?
Monday, August 24, 2009
"Taken" and beauty of the God's character
**Warning: spoiler alert**
I saw Taken a few nights ago, and I was struck by how beautifully it portrays what Christ did for us. A bit of background -- in the movie, a teenage girl and her friend finally convince her father Bryan, an ex-secret agent, to let them go to Paris. Through a series of events demonstrating a serious lack of judgment (ie, sharing a cab with a stranger, accidentally mentioning that they'll be home alone, etc), they end up getting themselves kidnapped by a sex slavery ring as she is on the phone with her father. One of the kidnappers picks up the phone, and the father vows that if he will not release his daughter, he will come find him and kill him. The rest of the movie is her father's detective journey, following clues and taking out the enemy until he rescues her.
This dad is my hero, and I think his character is an amazing representation of God's character.
We can see clearly the her father is good and has her best interests at heart. Even though he is strict, he sets his rules in order to protect her. Like the father in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, he watches and waits for word of her safety. He scolds her sternly when she breaks his rules, but when she is in danger, he speaks to her tenderly, lovingly, and wisely (albeit urgently). The consequences of her actions are very real and frightening, but if she will listen to what he tells her, then she will help him find her. The instructions are not for the sake of demanding obedience, but for love.
If we only looked at this aspect of his character, then it might be easy to conclude that he is only a distant protetctor from afar. However, as we observe the father, we see that is not the case -- he is actively involved with her story. He desires a relationship with her, leading him to retire from his service to the goverment that kept him away from his family. He delights in her and knows the desires of her heart to be a singer. He weeps when she was taken -- for his own pain, for hers, and for the injustice. He places himself in her shoes, re-enacting her abduction. And finally, not only does he desire for the injustice to be made right, but he goes out and rescues her, searching relentlessly, risking his life, and destroying the enemy along the way.
In the same way, we have a heavenly Father who has our best interests at heart and lays down rules for us to protect us. Like Kim, we have the option to obey these rules or not...but we find that there are consequences when we disobey. But most of all, he is a God that desires to be in relationship with us, who loves us in spite of our stupidity that gets us in trouble. He put himself in our place in the form of the man Jesus Christ and not only risked his life, but gave it up for us in order to destroy the Enemy and set us free from certain death -- all of which he did in his own initiative, completely unmerited.
Thank you, Jesus.
I saw Taken a few nights ago, and I was struck by how beautifully it portrays what Christ did for us. A bit of background -- in the movie, a teenage girl and her friend finally convince her father Bryan, an ex-secret agent, to let them go to Paris. Through a series of events demonstrating a serious lack of judgment (ie, sharing a cab with a stranger, accidentally mentioning that they'll be home alone, etc), they end up getting themselves kidnapped by a sex slavery ring as she is on the phone with her father. One of the kidnappers picks up the phone, and the father vows that if he will not release his daughter, he will come find him and kill him. The rest of the movie is her father's detective journey, following clues and taking out the enemy until he rescues her.
This dad is my hero, and I think his character is an amazing representation of God's character.
We can see clearly the her father is good and has her best interests at heart. Even though he is strict, he sets his rules in order to protect her. Like the father in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, he watches and waits for word of her safety. He scolds her sternly when she breaks his rules, but when she is in danger, he speaks to her tenderly, lovingly, and wisely (albeit urgently). The consequences of her actions are very real and frightening, but if she will listen to what he tells her, then she will help him find her. The instructions are not for the sake of demanding obedience, but for love.
If we only looked at this aspect of his character, then it might be easy to conclude that he is only a distant protetctor from afar. However, as we observe the father, we see that is not the case -- he is actively involved with her story. He desires a relationship with her, leading him to retire from his service to the goverment that kept him away from his family. He delights in her and knows the desires of her heart to be a singer. He weeps when she was taken -- for his own pain, for hers, and for the injustice. He places himself in her shoes, re-enacting her abduction. And finally, not only does he desire for the injustice to be made right, but he goes out and rescues her, searching relentlessly, risking his life, and destroying the enemy along the way.
In the same way, we have a heavenly Father who has our best interests at heart and lays down rules for us to protect us. Like Kim, we have the option to obey these rules or not...but we find that there are consequences when we disobey. But most of all, he is a God that desires to be in relationship with us, who loves us in spite of our stupidity that gets us in trouble. He put himself in our place in the form of the man Jesus Christ and not only risked his life, but gave it up for us in order to destroy the Enemy and set us free from certain death -- all of which he did in his own initiative, completely unmerited.
Thank you, Jesus.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
On your mark, get set, go!
Heading out to New Hampshire for intern training this weekend, followed by 1 day home before going off to staff retreat, officially kicking off my intern year.
Monday, August 3, 2009
100% Sent!
Praise God! I reached 100% of my financial goal on Saturday!! Thank you all for being a part of making this happen, through your prayers and your gifts!! It was an incredible moment, seeing God's continual faithfulness and how he never leads anywhere without making provisions. Looking back, it seems so silly to have doubted that he would call me into ministry for the year but not provide for my needs. I'm currently reading Exodus, and some days, I feel like the Israelites after they left Egypt: They saw God perform sign after miraculous sign, plagues afflicting all of Egypt except his chosen people...and then they complain and doubt God's ability to save them from an army. To give them water. To feed them. To rule over them. And so they grumbled and complained, finally building themselves a new God when they were convinced that He had forgotten about them when Moses went up to see him.
Perhaps the reason that God instructed Israel on how to observe the Passover even before he poured out the last plague was because he knew that Israel would forget. He tells them, "This day shall be for you a memorial day, andyou shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast...And you shall observe the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt" (Exodus 12:14, 17). Later on, as his prelude to the Ten Commandments, God says, "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery" (Exodus 20:2). How do you forget something as big as liberation from slavery by miracles? If Israel needed to be reminded about that little detail, then I pray that I will remember and look back at these times as reminders of God's faithfulness.
Perhaps the reason that God instructed Israel on how to observe the Passover even before he poured out the last plague was because he knew that Israel would forget. He tells them, "This day shall be for you a memorial day, andyou shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast...And you shall observe the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt" (Exodus 12:14, 17). Later on, as his prelude to the Ten Commandments, God says, "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery" (Exodus 20:2). How do you forget something as big as liberation from slavery by miracles? If Israel needed to be reminded about that little detail, then I pray that I will remember and look back at these times as reminders of God's faithfulness.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Almost there!
God is AMAZING!!!!!!! I only need 2-5 more monthly partners, and then I'll be fully supported and I can start working! Please pray thank God for his faithfulness and ask that he will in these last few partners. Thanks!
Monday, July 27, 2009
A summer update
Some of you are probably wondering what I've been up to this whole summer, if I've been in training or if I've started work yet...or perhaps more simply, where I've been. I was in Atlanta for a bit before moving to my apartment in NYC, where God has blessed me with an amazing roommate who loves the Lord. I've taken the summer off to focus on developing my team of ministry partners for the year, and I cannot start working until I have raised 100% of my financial support. By the grace of God, I'm on track to finish on time (by Aug 1....which is this Saturday). Along the way, he's taught me quite a bit about his faithfulness, and about money.
Faithfulness
When I first got my financial support goal during training in April, I was freaking out -- where on earth was all that money going to come from?? And then it was as if God took me by the shoulders, shook me, and demanded that I look at him in the eyes. The conversation went something like:
"Jess. Jess. JESS! Stop. What did I do for your last summer [when you needed to raise support for Summer Project]?"
(sheepishly) "You provided everything I needed...and more."
"So what do you think I'm going to do for you this year? Leave you hanging?"
"...No..."
"That's right. Stop freaking out. I've got this under control, ok?"
"ummm....ok..."
I don't know why I ever doubted that God would take care of me, or that he would somehow leave me without support after asking me to follow him for a year. But he has never ceased to amaze me, and he has not let me down yet. He has stirred up my home church to rally around me enthusiastically, even people I barely know. He has provided me with housing with an amazingly godly woman, found ways to reduce my support goal (a lower rent than anticipated and MetroCards instead of car payments). God is GOOD!
But as with most things in life, it's all about balance -- I need to stop freaking out, but I also can't be lazy about doing my part in sharing my story, calling people, writing letters, etc.
Money
Along with God's faithfulness, one of the most profound things I've learned this summer is that money...is only money. It is not magical; it cannot provide security; it is unstable. Literally everything I have is from the Lord, moving in people's hearts to give. It was definitely a humbling realization that none of this is anything that I earned in my own right or deserved, but freely given from God.
Over and over, God continually reminds his people of his provision:
Faithfulness
When I first got my financial support goal during training in April, I was freaking out -- where on earth was all that money going to come from?? And then it was as if God took me by the shoulders, shook me, and demanded that I look at him in the eyes. The conversation went something like:
"Jess. Jess. JESS! Stop. What did I do for your last summer [when you needed to raise support for Summer Project]?"
(sheepishly) "You provided everything I needed...and more."
"So what do you think I'm going to do for you this year? Leave you hanging?"
"...No..."
"That's right. Stop freaking out. I've got this under control, ok?"
"ummm....ok..."
I don't know why I ever doubted that God would take care of me, or that he would somehow leave me without support after asking me to follow him for a year. But he has never ceased to amaze me, and he has not let me down yet. He has stirred up my home church to rally around me enthusiastically, even people I barely know. He has provided me with housing with an amazingly godly woman, found ways to reduce my support goal (a lower rent than anticipated and MetroCards instead of car payments). God is GOOD!
But as with most things in life, it's all about balance -- I need to stop freaking out, but I also can't be lazy about doing my part in sharing my story, calling people, writing letters, etc.
Money
Along with God's faithfulness, one of the most profound things I've learned this summer is that money...is only money. It is not magical; it cannot provide security; it is unstable. Literally everything I have is from the Lord, moving in people's hearts to give. It was definitely a humbling realization that none of this is anything that I earned in my own right or deserved, but freely given from God.
Over and over, God continually reminds his people of his provision:
- "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want" (Psalm 23:1)
- "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him" (Lamentations 3:24)
- "Look at the birds in the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ... Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these ... Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What share we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ...your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:26-33)
- "He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32)
- "And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19)
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
A light at the end of the tunnel
After 11 weeks of developing my team of ministry partners, there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel! God has been providing abundantly over the course of the summer, and I am on track to reach my 100% pledge deadline of Aug 1 (now only 2 weeks away). Please join me in thanking God for what he has already given, and please also pray that I will have the faith, diligence, and perseverance to finish strong, as I am growing tired. Thank you!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Welcome!
Hello everyone!
Welcome, old readers and new! Thank you all for your interest in my ministry! This was my blog for updates during my summer missions project with Epic in Honolulu last summer, but I will be using it now for my internship year with the Epic NYC team. In addition to my monthly prayer newsletters, I will also be posting thoughts and stories here periodically.
I am currently still in the process of developing a team of ministry partners who will support me through prayer and/or finances. God has been providing so graciously and abundantly, and I am on track to reaching my financial goal by my August 1 deadline (I have to have 100% of my support pledged before I can start working). Please thank God for what he's already provided and what he will continue to raise up in these next few weeks, and thank him for all that he has in store for me in the year to come.
In Christ,
Jessica
Welcome, old readers and new! Thank you all for your interest in my ministry! This was my blog for updates during my summer missions project with Epic in Honolulu last summer, but I will be using it now for my internship year with the Epic NYC team. In addition to my monthly prayer newsletters, I will also be posting thoughts and stories here periodically.
I am currently still in the process of developing a team of ministry partners who will support me through prayer and/or finances. God has been providing so graciously and abundantly, and I am on track to reaching my financial goal by my August 1 deadline (I have to have 100% of my support pledged before I can start working). Please thank God for what he's already provided and what he will continue to raise up in these next few weeks, and thank him for all that he has in store for me in the year to come.
In Christ,
Jessica
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