Archive - July, 2007

bye, Jen

July 31, 2007 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

The youth leaders said official goodbyes to Jen last night. She’s not leaving for a couple more weeks, but those of us going to India won’t see her again. Someone leaving (until eternity or just October), usually inspires people to expand their visions of the relationship. I discovered two things on the way home last night:

1. Jen and I took far too long to become friends in the first place.
2. Jen is leaps and bounds from where she was when we met her just a few months ago.

‘Cause I remember when Jen first came to Switch, shy and at least a little uncomfortable in herself. Not at all the confident, bold young woman of God who will soon be heading back to start revival on a college campus in Michigan. It’s amazing what the Holy Spirit can do with a willing heart in such a short time.

There are pictures of that too that I occationally day dream about getting posted before I leave, but it’s not a realistic day dream. My schedule for the next three days is thus:

Today after work: Clean the apartment and dinner with a friend (because who knows where in the world this girl will be in two weeks) … at the India Curry House.

Wednesday after work: Purchase everything that I personally need for this trip, and that our team as a whole still needs. Conduct two more hours of missionary training. Finish cleaning the apartment.

Thursday after work: Finish everything that’s not done yet, which hopefully does not include cleaning the apartment. Laundry and pack.

Tada! Pray for me.

don’t accept Jesus

July 30, 2007 in Discipleship with 0 Comments

We had missions training all weekend, and I am tired. I think if I ever co-lead a missions trip again, I’m taking the week before the trip off too.

Yesterday we did a lot of role playing to get our missionaries more accustomed to engaging someone of a totally different culture in a conversation. And then moving that conversation toward Jesus. They were in pairs or small groups, practicing the gospel on each other, and I stopped two of them to explain something that’s been on my heart for a few months now.

Don’t tell someone they need to accept Jesus.

Webster defines “accept” as (1) to receive, (2) to give approval to, (3) to endure without protest or reaction, (4) to make a favorable response to, etc.

That’s weak sauce. That makes me think all I have to do is give Jesus a hug and everything will be okay. Or that I just have to nod at the idea that Jesus is who He is, and He’ll bless me. I just have to endure Him without protest. God’s heart is overcome with one look of our eye, and we, in turn, endure Him?

Jesus tells his disciples to take up a cross. To repent. Be renewed. Die daily. Give everything. To be reborn.

There’s a degree of “accepting” in there, but I wonder what kind of “Christians” we’re creating (all over the world) when we’re satisfied that someone has prayed a prayer and comes to church three Sundays a month. Are we “mak(ing) disciples,” or backsliders?

time

July 26, 2007 in Discipleship with 0 Comments

Tim talked last night about time. He mentioned that old adage in passing, that “time is money.” A thought crossed my mind, and I won’t dare guess where it came from. It was this: If time is money, do I need to tithe on it? 2.4 hours per day? That’s 2 hours and 24 minutes, which is basically two-and-a-half hours. Just a thought.
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