Sorry I haven’t written anything in a while. This trip has
picked up speed and I’m feeling the effects! Time is flying by. We had a quick
month in Uganda and barely had enough Internet to check email…which would
explain my recent silence.
As I write this, Bri and I are sitting in an African medical
clinic’s waiting room, awaiting the results of her blood test and a small “poo”
sample. I’m sorry for being graphic but chances are that it is mostly family
and good friends reading this blog so we feel comfortable sharing this. I guess
we are comfortable because we have lived in very close community the past 10
months…or it’s just that Bri and I are very open people. No worries though. We
suspect it’s only a parasite or what we have come to affectionately know as
“Pari.” It’s all part of the job description! I will keep you posted on its
development. I figure by the time I’m done writing this we should have the
results.
So anyway, I wanted to write and give you an update on where
I’m at right now. It’s a good place. God has taught me so much through this
trip. I feel like the whole thing has
been one big session in a very hands-on classroom. God has revealed himself in
awesome ways and we have had the privilege of being involved in some amazing
ministry. God has shown himself so faithful to us even in the hardest times. He
is good. That is His nature. I have re-thought my whole faith on this trip. I
have questioned, doubted, and even come to places where I wanted to give it all
up. Seeing this world and all it’s problems can send you into a tailspin of
hopelessness. But we have found a beautiful light in this darkness. It’s Jesus.
He alone is the light. When we fall more in love with Him he begins to shine
through us to others. The phrase “Pure Religion” has been on my heart lately.
James from the bible, who was Jesus’ half-brother, said that this pure form of
religion was to visit the orphans and widows in their trouble and to keep
yourself unstained from this world. I admit that I have come to strongly
dislike religion on this trip. We have seen it’s shackles keep so many people
in a lost and hopeless state of trying to make their way to heaven by the good
they do, or how many prayers they pray, or how much money they give, or the
traditions they keep. It breaks my heart. Christ came to fulfill the law, or
said in another way he came to fulfill “religion.” We don’t follow a set of
rules or the traditions of men anymore to be in right standing with God. We now
live under grace. This grace has been given to set us free from the law or
“religion.” However I think James is saying that if you want to be habitual or
“religious” about something make it about loving people; and not only “good,” clean,
wealthy, nice people. Rather we should love the least. Love the ones that most
pass bye. Love those who can barely take care of themselves or have no one
looking after them. We do this because that is what God did for us…
Bri and I are so excited about our
next steps. We are still praying through the details but still feel a very
strong calling back to Cambodia. Something happened there that I can’t really
explain. God seemed to…touch us in a way. Our hearts began to burn for
something that was beyond us. It was as if God took a fiery love from his heart
and put it into ours. One night Bri began to sob uncontrollably. I began to
tear up too…O.K. maybe I cried like a baby. We got our “call.” Not because we
cried in a room and felt bad for people, but because God spoke to our hearts.
But we think it goes beyond Cambodia…maybe to all of Southeast Asia, maybe to
all of the US? I know this sounds far fetched but nothing is impossible with
God.
I have definitely learned one thing
though, and it is that we can’t do this alone. We are going to need a small
army of people committed to the vision God has given us. My hope is that as you
read this, God stirs your heart. Consider partnering with us as we begin our
mission that we believe God has entrusted us with. So what do we want to do? We
want to bring the love of Jesus to this world. No matter where we are. We want
to see God’s kingdom established in the nations. Any nation. Every nation. We
want to see the church become the pure bride that God desires it to be. So what
will this take? A miracle. Revival. It
will take us as the Church waking up and realizing that we have been given an
awesome and daring commission. “Go to all nations, go into all the world…and
make Disciples.” Jesus wasn’t saying, “Go all over the world and make a bunch
of nice “do-gooders.” He was telling us to make people who are radical, people
who take his Word serious. He was telling us to make an army and arm them with
the most powerful weapon…LOVE. The Bible says, “Faith, Hope, and Love
remain…but the greatest of these is LOVE.” He didn’t give us a list of rules
and regulations to follow. He gave us two commands. Love Him with all we are
and love others like we love ourselves. However few his commands are, they are
indeed difficult. Am I living this?…Are you? Be honest with yourself. My
questions come not from a heart of judgment but from a heart of love. I have
had to wrestle with these questions for quite a while. I recently read through
Francis Chan’s book Crazy Love and
the chapter on lukewarm Christianity hit me like a mac truck. I would recommend
everyone I know to get your hands on a copy. It has floored me. He argues that
a lukewarm Christian is an oxymoron. It doesn’t exist. I tried to reason my way
out of this truth but the words haunted me. I never want to be lukewarm. No
matter what it takes. We want a group of people who share this desire to
partner with us and see God work in ways that we could never imagine. I may
sound like I’m daydreaming but I would rather live a dreamer than die a man who
never dreamed at all. Do you dream? I have been doing a lot of this lately and
it scares me to death but excites me to no end. God can change a nation. He
can. We believe he wants to. Cambodia is not lost…America is not lost. Today is
the day of salvation!
If you read this and feel God
leading you to partner with us or further support us we would love to hear from
you. My email is [email protected].
Drop me a line. Let us get to know you and you get to know us. We don’t have plans in concrete yet but God
has given us some options to pray through. We know this is early to begin
planning but we want to create a support system of people and begin to network
with those who want to share in our vision. We look forward to hearing from
you!
On a lighter note, The results are in and Bri is fine…No
little friend named “pari” inside. Thank God! I know what I wrote was a little
heavy but it is what God has been teaching me and it was on my heart to share
with all of you. We love and miss you all back home. We can’t wait to come back
home and tell you all what God has done this year.
Grace and Peace!
