Jesus and 1 John.

As I read through 1 John this morning, I couldn't help but recognize how frequently Jesus is used as an example...His love, His sacrifice, His life on this earth, His eternal reign. We all know that Christ is our ultimate example and we are to strive to follow His pattern of life...not to the best of our abilities, because that would mean nothing. We are to surrender constantly to the power and authority of our Heavenly Father...this we know. Every day of our lives, our sinful nature proves to us that we are powerless on our own...God is the true Source of our power. Since we cannot do anything of value anyway, why don't we allow the Lord to fill our hearts with dreams and goals so gigantic that only He can accomplish them. Never endeavor upon something that you are able to do...there is no room for growth in that. Walk through the doors that God opens for you...no matter if the door is 400 feet tall and 12,000 pounds or if it is 6 inches tall...no challenge is too big for our God.

Ok, well that is not at all what I set out to write. I read a book recently called "In His Steps." It was essentially about a minister challenging his congregation to commit to live the next year asking the question "What would Jesus do?" before anything and everything they did. That question may have become somewhat cliche because of the materialization of the phrase, but it is one of the most powerful questions we can ask ourselves.

"Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did." --1 John 2:6.

Can you imagine what the world would be like if we all lived that way? We would be so sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. More people would come to know who Jesus really is. More needs would be fulfilled. There would be more joy and love than we have ever experienced. True service that Jesus demonstrated to us is the most impactful thing we can do. But we must die to ourselves and take up our crosses every single day. That can only be done through the strength of our Lord...and the joy of the Lord is our strength.

"Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and He knows everything." --1 John 3:18-20.

"God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love--not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins." --1 John 4:9-10.

Next time you tell someone that you love them, think about this real love...the unfathomable and unfailing love that God shows to us every time He allows us to take a breath, or watch the sun rise, or hear the ocean waves breaking on the shore. Every day is a gift we've been given...make the most of the time, every minute you're living.

Sin by Omission.

I've been realizing lately that I went through a few years of my life being deceived. Through high school and into freshman year of college, I thought that if I was just living my life the right way, everyone would see it and want to know what was different about me. This held up, to a point, but there is another level of being a Christian that I seem to have overlooked or disregarded.

I know now that God placed me in that public high school and in a room with those worldly roommates for a reason. At the time, I thought that I was just supposed to shine the Light and hope that they would realize that they needed to follow the straight and narrow like I was. But there is another responsibility that goes along with reflecting the Son: lovingly sharing with those dark people around us the error of their ways.

"Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it." -- James 4:17.

I knew that I needed to be more bold about my faith and the implications of living a Christian life. Not only was I responsible for pursuing the Lord, but God had given me people who needed encouragement to do the very same.

"When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right." --Romans 6:20.

The LORD has been pounding that into my head this morning. I was living in sin and I didn't even know it. I felt absolutely no pull towards having those difficult conversations with the people around me. If I couldn't be bold in my witness to others, then how could I possibly boldly come before the Throne of Grace with confidence (Hebrews 4:16)? How selfish of me. This world is not our home, so why do we treat it like it is all about us?

It is all about Him!

Waiting on the World to Change?

I've never really liked the concept of that John Mayer song. If we are truly going around this life just waiting for the world to change, we will be utterly disappointed...and I'll venture to say that we will waste our lives. I don't want to waste my life. The Lord has called me (and us) to something bigger and higher than just blending in with society and hoping that its practices will change.

At this point in my life, I am waiting to change the world. And I know that the Lord can do that through me. I'd always kind of closed off my thoughts to the fact that I could indeed impact the whole world...but if I truly believe that nothing is impossible for God, I've got to believe that His power through me is more than sufficient for this weighty task. To me, changing the world comes in the form of taking the Light to every corner of the earth...the places that think they are already illuminated enough, as well as the places who have been blinded by the darkness so long that they wouldn't recognize light if it was right in front of them.

As believers, we have all been called to turn the world upside-down like the early church did in Acts 17:6. The things of this world are absolutely worthless. Yes, I said worthless. Nothing else matters except for knowing our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Paul talked about this so many times in his letters (Colossians 3:2-4; Philippians 3:7-8; Galatians 6:14; Romans 8:18-24). He got it. I am striving to get it. But I do know that this world has nothing to offer me...I have everything to offer the world. Well, not me...God can use me as a vessel to proclaim His message to the dark and fallen world around me (2 Corinthians 4:7).

The Invasion.

Don't worry...it's just a song title. By Trip Lee. Mmm.

We need a hero to go in, cause our solutions don't win

Education can't fix it, more dough just leads to more sin

Medicine is temporary, government seems so thin

With all these weighty problems, that ain't shrinking they just growing

Who's adequate to save us, how about He knew no sin?

Like a G5 yeah you rushed to rescue me

Took a cross in exchange for a throne to save me

You began the work and I know you'll finish

And make all things right when you come back

Cause you're my hero, you already saved the day

Cause you're my hero, and I know you're coming back for me

You see Him healing, feeding folks, and telling them the standard

Our most basic need is to be ransomed by Jesus

It's so major, that's the reason that we need a Savior

Cause the root of needs is separation from Creator

Jesus came humbly to restore us to our maker

And later He'll restore all that He made bruh, He's Jesus

He already saved the day. Listen! He saved us before we were born. He knew us...really knew us...and knows us. So many people walk around this life with no hope. Why? Don't they know? Romans 10:13-15.

We do not need to search for a way to "get through"...God is our hero. He is everything.

The Wisdom of Paul.

Over the summer, Romans was clearly my most frequented book...because it's Romans! But another passage that really resonated with me was 2 Corinthians chapters 4-6.

"Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God." --4:4.

Mmm...how very true! Once they have been blind for so long, they can't even recognize when the lights are on! They begin to love the darkness and think that that is the way it is meant to be. That makes me think of "Inception." That should scare everyone to no end...that is true fear of the Lord.

"You see, we don't go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said 'Let there be light in the darkness,' has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ." --4:5-6.

I've not yet decided if it is possible to talk about the contrast between light and darkness too much, but if it is, then I plan to abolish any such rule. There is nothing more apparent to me right now than the distinct difference between those who are walking in and shining the Light and those who are living blind in this dark world. I love in these verses how Paul equates the light created in Genesis 1 with the light created in us when we are saved. Both accomplish the same purpose: to demonstrate to the fallen world who the Creator and Only Hope is. Jesus Christ...our Father...our King...our Lord...the Spirit...our Hero.

"That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever." --4:16-18.

Living as a light in this dark world is not easy. If it were, everyone would want to do it. In fact, we can only be successful (in the truest sense of the word) if we rely entirely on our Lord. So, we must be of good faith and courage...confident that He will provide for us everything we need to serve Him effectively. We cannot give up or surrender. We have Christ in us, the hope of glory. We have hope...which means "help is on the way."

Ok, well that was only chapter 4...but I think I'll save 5 and 6 for a little later. Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power!

SPY Trip to Bolivia: Day Nine [7.25]

Well, our flight left La Paz at 8:45am. I can't believe it's over, but I'm so content all at the same time...God did more things than could ever be listed...and I know that that knowledge and the deepening of my relationship with Him will always affect me. Now it's just looking back and attempting to share the things that happened with everyone who wants and needs to know. God provides.

When we got on our connection flight from Santa Cruz to Miami, the same flight attendant from the trip down was on the plane...today was supposed to be her day off, so it is just by chance that she is on this eight-hour flight with us. Chance? Nah...sovereignty...55:8. I hope that our presence on this plane today serves as an encouragement and confirmation to her. May she grow ever stronger. And He made me fall asleep for about an hour, even though I was too stubborn to realize that it was necessary...and when I woke up, He had provided a much-needed lunch for my sustenance. He is good.

We got to Miami and a few people had connecting flights home that night. But most of us had one more night together at the hotel. We got in late, had a pizza dinner at 11:30, and just hung out for a while. The next morning, people were leaving in shifts to go to the airport to catch their flights. It was so bittersweet to have to say goodbye to the people who had become our family for the week. But these friendships are not over...they are just beginning. The Lord Almighty is sovereign.

SPY Trip to Bolivia: Day Eight [7.24]

Today, we got to have a later start than we have been...which was wonderful. I got up at 8:30, got a nosebleed in the shower, had a little breakfast, and then we left at 10. We drove downtown and went to the street where the market is set up. We had about an hour and a half to shop for everyone we wanted to get things for...and barter the prices down. I ended up getting a lot of good stuff for about ten people for less than $30. We left the market a little late, so we had to go to Burger King for lunch instead of the place we had planned to go. Let's just say it was more than a little bit interesting.

We came back to the hotel and had about an hour before our last group session. Olivia, Stephanie, and I packed a bit, but mostly we just talked. In the last session, we talked about ways to tell people about how the trip was...there were so many things that happened that it would become a 6-hour monologue if we told people about it all. John 21:25. Most of us ended up staying in that room for a while to sign shirts and such, but we still had about an hour before we left for dinner. Surprisingly, Steph, Liv, and I talked during that time.

We went back downtown to go to dinner at an interesting restaurant. We ordered our food and then the show started shortly after...it was authentic Bolivian music and dancing. Everything started out well...then the masks came out and the costumes became less and less appropriate. The food came...cold and hard...but I got a huge glass of strawberry/apple/grape blended juice that was delicious. I spent most of the time staring at a spot on the tablecloth and saying "He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world" to myself over and over. Whew...but it's over now.

When we got back, most everyone went to the same room to sign notebooks and shirts and exchange numbers and addresses. I'm ready to leave. Not that I'm miserable or getting tired of the people or of what the Lord is doing...it's just time to leave. One cool thing about the restaurant was the fact that there were people from Australia, France, Holland, and of course the US.

SPY Trip to Bolivia: Day Seven [7.23]

This morning, we woke up at 6 to leave at 7. Breakfast was perfect: I made a PB&J on pita bread. :) A small group of 7 (me, April, Barb, Ian, Hannah, Melanie, Abby, and Andres) got in the Land Cruiser (which ended up with a flat tire later in the day) for a 45 minute drive to this small community. Our objective: chasing and catching 40 alpacas. Yes, we are just awesome like that. The alpacas needed to have oral and injection medications, so we had to corner them, grab them around the neck, hold on to their tails, and wait for the medicine people to come over to us. I actually ended up catching 2 adults and 2 babies…not the ones that wrangled out of my intense grip (exaggeration). To add to the excitement, we got lost on the way back to the camp…Andrew lost the road (using the term “road” very loosely)…we caught some good air and bottomed out several times…how many people can say that they’ve been off-roading in Bolivia after wrestling alpacas? We got back a little bit before the bigger group (who were taking care of alpacas and llamas), so I got to write for a while…it was refreshing.

We all loaded up in the bus for the hour ride back to the church we went to yesterday…we had our (now) traditional sound-off…my number is 2…I am second. (And yes, I did fight with someone else to have that number…which doesn’t exactly obey Philippians 2:3-4…grrr.) Since we had more people today, the clearing was much faster and more efficient. I would say that we finished about half of what needed to be done…which I think is very good, considering the amount of clay and the altitude at which we are working. We worked until lunch time…llama and potatoes again…so I stealthily transferred my plate to someone who hadn’t gotten one yet and then had some peanut butter crackers and a granola bar on the bus.

After we ate, the pastor of the church and a few of the members sang us two songs. We sang the Animal Song and Amazing Grace to them and then laid hands on them to pray for the church and community. One of the most humbling moments of the day was seeing people who were at least 80 years old kneel down on the ground when we told them we were going to pray. What a picture of sheer reverence to the Creator of all…the Ruling Sustainer. Then we loaded the bus again (with a sound-off) and embarked on the 4 hour drive back to La Paz.

No matter how long I’ve been here, it still scares me to no end when the cars, buses, and trucks drive so recklessly close together. That was one of the best bus rides I’ve had this trip…it was just me and God. About 15 people were sitting in the back of the bus playing mafia, the others were dozing on and off, and I was able to just be still and read and think and listen and know that He is God! When we got to the hotel, it was time for dinner…we checked in, dropped our stuff off, and then left to walk to the place we were eating. Pollos Copacabana. What an experience. They had burgers and fried chicken. Let’s just say I can’t wait to be able to go to Chick-fil-a…I’m also having sweet tea withdrawals.

After dinner, we were finally able to take showers…praise the Lord for the gracious gift of running water! At 9, we met for devotions. April talked about fear…and mentioned 2 of my favorite verses: 2 Timothy 1:7 and 1 John 4:18. In our small group time after that, we talked about how we had seen God work this week, what He has taught us, and who we need to tell specific things about the trip. It was very good. This week has flown by and seemed like an entire month all at the same time. I’m very ready to be back at home and then go to school, but I wouldn’t trade this time here for anything (or nearly anything) in the world. I have a feeling that I will be talking about this trip to anyone who will listen for a very long time to come. God is good…so very good! His faithful love endures forever.

SPY Trip to Bolivia: Day Six [7.22]

We got up at 6:30 for breakfast at 7: kiwi, English muffin, potato cakes, and lots of water. We left the hotel at 8 in two different groups. The small group of seven got in the Land Cruiser to go build a barn. The larger group of 18 that I was in got on the bus to travel to a church to do various things. We drove about 3.5 hours before we stopped for lunch in a billage where a large SP field office is. After lunch, we walked around a bit, went up to the plaza, and got to go into a 500 year old Catholic church…it was very eerie and cold…it made my spirit very uncomfortable to be in there.

We had about an hour drive from there to the church and then we got right to work…some people sanding the walls to prepare them for paint, some helping lay bricks in the classrooms, and eight of us were clearing dirt out of this one area beside the church. The girls in the sanctuary were singing lots of wonderful songs, so the clearing crew joined in. We had a break at about 3:30 when we all came in the church and started singing some more…mostly “In Christ Alone,” “Amazing Grace,” and “Sanctuary.” We worked for an hour more and then had a bit of food that one of the families in the village prepared for us: llama meat and three kinds of potatoes. It would have been better if it was warm…the meat was very tough and chewy, but didn’t taste terrible. That will probably be the first and last time I’ll eat llama.

We came to the other SP field office in the area, where we stayed for the night, and unloaded our stuff. Let me just note that we did not bring any changes of clothes because there was no reason to get two sets of clothes terribly dirty. I currently smell like clay, campfire smoke, and alpaca. We did a human knot with about 14 people and then played a game of mafia before dinner. Stephanie and I shared a mounded plate of spaghetti noodles with no sauce and some vegetables…and pita bread!

After dinner, we had a campfire made out of evergreen branches…it continually smelled like Christmas. The stars were so clear here…and they look like they are blinking all the time…it was beautiful…praise the Creator of all! Around the fire, we started singing once again…we also sang all the way from the church to where we stayed…it was so amazing to just praise our Savior with all of these people who are committed to the Lord. Stephanie, Olivia, and I started getting tired, so we came in and went to bed after we got warm. Being here really makes you realize how much Americans take for granted…like heat and running water.

SPY Trip to Bolivia: Day Five [7.21]

We got up at 6am, got ready, and saw God's fingerpainting of the sky...it was like an upside-down rainbow. But, I forgot to take a picture. Breakfast was the same as yesterday...and I had some trimate tea...mmm.

After breakfast, we got on boats and went to the Isla de Sol...the place where the Incas started out...for our last distribution. I think that was the best one...there were probably 30 kids, but they were not nearly as reserved as the others...it was much more personal. The three boys I was sitting with really enjoyed all of their gifts and they let me take their pictures. God has been so faithful these past few days (and every single moment of every single day He gives me)...I had been wanting a picture with some of the kids, and Joey came by with his BlackBerry and took a picture when I was giving the youngest boys silly bands...I had been wondering what was in the far section of the hotel, and Fernanda took us there without explanation today.My favorite kid was being really quiet but smiling when we went through his box. The mothers were much more interested in the message than at the other distributions.

We came back to the hotel and packed up all of our stuff. Then we went to that room that Fernanda had showed us and had an amazing time of worship. We were there for almost an hour and a half...there's no way I could even describe it. We had lunch: vegetable soup, fish (fresh from the lake), french fries, vegetables, and flan. Then we loaded up the bus to head back to La Paz. About 15 minutes into the trip, we stopped in the middle of the road where we saw several kids. We gave them shoeboxes and booklets...what a joy. We stopped again a few minutes later when we went through a town to give away a few more boxes. If that doesn't demonstrate the love of Christ, I don't know what does.

Oh, and there was a young mother with her four or five small children who walked for two hours to get to the distribution today. They lived on the other side of the mountain. It just blows my mind that God provided 108 extra boxes yesterday and then we had enough to leave some at the hotel and stop at least five times to give boxes to kids. Jehovah Jireh.

We got back to La Paz and into the hotel at 6:15pm and had a bit of down time before dinner...that's something that I am not used to these past few days. What a blessing. We had dinner at a restaurant around the corner from the hotel that served American food. I watched a bit of the Nationals/Reds game while we were waiting on the food. I did find it a bit odd to be at a burger joint watching ESPN while I'm in Bolivia, but oh well.

We came back to the hotel and had a quick group meeting before small group time (which was absolutely amazing.) I cannot comprehend how the Lord can draw people so close together in a foreign country in 5 days. Everyone in my group trusts the others enough to spill their hearts. Tonight, the Lord gave me the role of listening to what everyone shared and then reading the passages of His Word that He flipped my Bible to. Every single one was a verse that I had read and underlined in the brand new Bible I brought on this trip for that very purpose. Mmm...God is above all and in all and through all. Alleluia!