Back to the Starting Line

The title of my last blog post was "Wrapping Up." That was July 8th, 2014, and I had no idea at the time just how descriptive that title that would be. I didn't anticipate taking an entire year off from blogging, but that's what happened. I can only say that I must have needed it. Academically, spiritually, emotionally, and relationally, it's been a year of growth. I've faced bigger challenges and added responsibilities, and they have run their course, helping to shape my life and to hone my sense of calling and purpose. In a way, this year has felt like track practice used to feel back at Pierce County High School. I've been coached. I've been worked out. And I've been exhausted sometimes. But now I feel ready for a new stage. It's back to the starting line.

So, what's this new leg of the race look like? To sum up a theme that's been emerging in my life, the last three years have been a lot of other people pouring into me. Now, it's my turn to do the pouring. I know that I've done my fair share of shaping others even while others have significantly shaped me, but I've been much more in the student-disciple phase of the learning cycle. Coming into my senior year, however, I'm finding that I've been thrust into a sphere of greater responsibility. Up to now, I've predominantly been the learner, and even though I'll never stop learning, I see the doors opening to take the teacher role. In a word, I'm growing up.    

Take school, for example. I faced some of the most difficult but rewarding classes that I've ever had last year, even adding something to my course of study (an 18 credit-hour European history component). My undergraduate study of linguistics is now complete because I've taken every linguistics class that NGU offers. I also did some advanced Biblical exegesis, ethical work, and historical research, and my Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) class gave me the chance to plug into the international community in and around Greenville. Now, with my final undergraduate year on the horizon, I'm almost done. I'm still learning, but I've become an academic tutor, I (tentatively) have a NAMB supported internship with my college church, and I'm going to be a weekly ESL volunteer. My eye is on graduation and on applying to life everything that I've been so focused on absorbing.

Another example is in the area of relationships. For those of you who know me personally, you know that I've been dating an amazing woman, Rebekah, since March of 2014. Well, our relationship began on the heels of a significant spiritual and emotional crises for me, which I crawled out of by God's grace and the faithfulness of my family and (in particular) three close friends. Now, one of those friends is getting married and another is moving with his family to the Middle East. I've been able to grow confidently in my relationship over the course of the past year, and now I'm finding that others are coming to me to ask advice and wisdom. Though I feel inadequate, I recognize that God used the support of family and those friends to to help me see some of the thought patterns and patterns of action that help bring about healing, growth, and maturity. As I have learned, I'm now responsible to go and share.

I could give other examples, but the hour is late and my point is made. But, I want to make sure that blogging becomes a regular part of my life this year. To make sure of that, I'll commit to publishing at least twice per month, on every first and third Monday. Hopefully, I'll be able to write more posts and publish them throughout, but you can expect at least twice in the month. Now, what will they be about? I'm not sure yet. I never am. But, I'll put my college slogan to test once again: "Somehow, it always gets done."      
 

 

Wrapping Up

As you probably noticed, I didn't write on Friday or Monday. There is no grand or glorious reason why, except that I'm trying to finish well. Which meant focusing on what was going on rather than writing on my blog.

The last few days have been full of last-minute contacts, goodbyes, and handling the process of passing our baton to the next runners on the track. Kevin, Marlee, Dwayne, Pastor Edwards, and Berlin will be the ones to carry on the work that we've began. In some ways, I'm sad because our relationship building is just starting to pay off, in that neighbors are trusting us, engaging with us, and even coming out to play and grill out with us. One guy, Darrell, has even helped out with the kids camp this week. However, with the sadness comes joy: joy from all that I've learned, joy from the fruit that we've seen, and joy for what the future holds here in Cleveland.

The common denominator between all of the Christian brothers and sisters that we've made contact with is that they all feel the Lord working to disband the spiritual darkness that has so long held this place captive. I can truthfully say that I've seen the people of God begin to stir this summer, pressing into Jesus and seeking what they can do to advance the Kingdom and bring glory to God. When I say 'I've seen,' that's what I mean, as in this is an observation, not something that is a result of anything Stacy and I have done. If anything, Stacy and I have simply been a small part of the force that God is mobilizing to do His work, and we are excited to see what else the Lord is going to do in Cleveland in the coming years. Like rain in this Lake Eerie air, we can smell revival coming. Not a revival that originates from man's attempt to gather people together and preach; rather, a true revival that is beginning in the hearts and lives of the Lord's people.

As I cram books and clothes in my suitcase to head back to Georgia, I can rest in one sound fact. As Rebekah told me: "The most important thing is that God is in Cleveland. He was there before you got there, He's been there while you've been there, and He'll be there after you leave." No matter what it looks like to us, God's work never fails.

I'm sure more lessons that I've learned will emerge in this blog soon enough, but for now, I believe I'm done. God has once again carried me to Cleveland, and now it's time for Him to carry me back home.

Today's Prayer Place: Simple enough. Put in "Cleveland, Ohio" in Google maps, and pray that God's presence will emerge stronger than ever. Cleveland may be known as the 'Mistake on the Lake' to many. But with Jesus, every mistake can turn into something unimaginably beautiful.    

Just Throw the Frisbee

If I've learned one thing about church planting this summer, it's this: When in doubt, just throw the frisbee.

Oftentimes, God uses the simplest things to bring about the most surprising results. Simple things are those that ring most with who you are or how you naturally connect with people. For me and Stacy, one simple thing is to stand outside, toss the frisbee, and have a good time hanging out. All summer long we've done that on the street outside of our house, and periodically some of the neighbors would come out and play with us. Saturday, however, was different. 

Couple intentionality with simplicity and you have a powerful force. Saturday, Stacy, Marlee, and I held a free sno-cones party in the neighborhood. It was a hot day, and word spread quickly down the sidewalks and streets that some people on Lee were giving out free sno-cones. As the kids came, we broke out the frisbee and just tossed it back and forth. Soon, not one, not two, not three, but four families were represented in our little frisbee game. They started talking and laughing and being a community, and things seemed different than they normally do. People were smiling and together, and that's pretty rare for a street like Lee. 

During all of this, one older neighbor made a comment that made me smile. He said, "Man, this is like the old days!" THAT'S what we want. We want people to remember that not all neighbors are bad. In fact, the vast majority are really good neighbors. The problem is just that nobody knows who to trust. 

Yesterday, we had the biggest group yet at Barnabas. One of the families from down the street (they had been at the grill-out on Friday and the sno-cones on Saturday) came, and Adam, my friend who we've been doing the Bible study with, came as well. Four children were in the family, so there were ten of us in all. We had a great time! Food and fellowship came first, then we discussed the story of the prodigal son, and we ended by singing "Amazing Grace" and praying together. Afterwards, we played some frisbee in the street and four more kids showed up, one of whom was a tenth grader. Julio was his name, and we had a pretty deep spiritual conversation about who Jesus was. So overall, Barnabas on Sunday was a great success. Much different than we imagined 7 or so weeks ago, but God often seems to work through the unexpected! 

Today's Prayer Place: 1514 East 115th Street, Cleveland, OH 44106. This is the house of a guy named Doc. He's a hip-hop artist/gardener who moved into the neighborhood 7 years ago and has since been working on a youth internship program called Fresh Camp. At Fresh Camp, they learn how to write wholesome hip-hop lyrics, speak out against crime and drugs and violence through hip-hop, and promote healthy choices. They also learn gardening skills in order to promote community gardens and organic food. Doc is a believer, and we were privileged and excited to meet him. God is using him to reach out to many kids in the neighborhood, and we think that he may be a key link in a network of believers who have all moved into this neighborhood independently and without knowing that the others were coming. We even learned of a man who bought another house a couple of streets east who wants to start a house-ministry. All of this is new information to us, but we want to know more! We think God is putting together something here in this neighborhood. Pray that everyone will be able to connect and work together for His glory!       

  

Again Unexpected

Well, I certainly didn't expect that. 

This evening after dinner, Stacy and I went outside to toss frisbee in the street. Little did we know that this evening, things would turn out a little different. Not only did we throw frisbee; we ended up rolling out the grill, pulling out the chairs, and having a mini grill-out in the front yard. For the first time in the summer, we were able to hang out with most of the neighbors all at the same time. THAT is rare for this street. 

This is quick tonight because it's late and I'm tired, but again, God always works through the unexpected. During the course of conversation, spiritual matters came up as we talked about Bible stories with the kids. This was a good step as our time here starts to wrap up; doors are opening, and hopefully these last two weeks will be filled with gospel-centered conversations. 

This time, pray for conversations instead of a specific place. Please pray that our neighbors on Lee Avenue will see Jesus for who He really is!  

A Great Creator

On Friday, Stacy, Marlee (a summer intern for another church who we know from last summer), and I went to Niagara Falls for the day. Never have I seen such a beautiful flow of water! The last time I remember seeing a sight of nature that truly left me literally breathless was when I was in Ecuador two years ago. The viciousness of the torrent, the gale of the mist, and the vastness of the cliffs took my breath away and left me awestruck. Early in the day, we took the famous "Maid of the Mist" ship, which took us near the bottom of the falls. One thought stands out in my mind: As I gazed up at the majesty of Niagara, I thought, "Man, we know the God who made this..."

How great the Creator's grace! That we should know Him and know Him personally. The God of the universe, who crafted and created such a powerful and majestic force would care to love me, one mere human among billions. Really, it makes no sense. 

But that's the astounding message of the Gospel. The Creator desires to know His creatures intimately-every last one of us. He didn't just create a giant mass of water. He made human hearts so that He could show us His love.

I'm amazed. And forever in love with our Creator-Redeemer-Savior. Jesus, Jesus who forgives my every stubborn mistake and takes my messy, clumsy efforts and somehow uses them to glorify God. The Jesus who made the mighty Niagara is the same who offers forgiveness and redemption and life as it is meant to be. 

Today's Prayer Place: Starbucks, 11302 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44106. I hang out in here quite a bit. Lots of students frequent the place-please pray for chances to share Christ with them. 

Also, a side note, I will be cutting down to writing two times a week for my last three weeks here in Cleveland, merely for time's sake. Stacy and I now go to an event every Wednesday that goes until late in the evening, so I'll just write on Mondays and Fridays.   

Do What? Humble Faith

In the last "Do What?" teaching of Jesus, we saw Jesus illustrate the extent of forgiveness that His followers are to extend to their brothers. Soon after this teaching, Jesus proved His point by making ultimate forgiveness of sin possible through his suffering and death on the cross. Jesus was a man of integrity. He lived by His words because His words came from His Father.

The next teaching that caught my eye as I read through Luke 17 was Jesus’s instructions on faith and humility (Luke 17:5-10). When the disciples asked the Lord to “increase our faith,” Jesus responded with one of the most well-known statements in the Bible: “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you” (17:5). Perhaps the disciples generally understood this teaching; after all, Jesus’s emphasis on faith spanned the entire period of His ministry. Jesus simply once again reminded the disciples of the necessity of faith in doing the work of God.

What comes next, however, is what I see as the “Do What?” statement in this passage. Jesus talks of how a slave responds to his master. After doing the master’s will, Jesus said, a slave should simply say “We are good-for-nothing slaves; we’ve only done our duty” (Luke 17:10). The main issue at hand is the slave's response to the completion of a task. Rather than demanding thankfulness or reward, a slave rests in the assurance that he has done his lord’s will.

If a follower of Christ acts in faith and a achieves a great goal or accomplishes grand task (such as commanding a mulberry tree to be uprooted and planted in the sea), the natural human response would be to expect recognition and thanks from all those who benefited from the work. However, Jesus immediately checked that response at the door. The point, Jesus said, is to respond to the father’s will in the same way that a good slave responds to the master’s will: simple obedience and humble submission.

Does this mean that we are in fact good-for-nothing or that no thanks or recognition should follow faithful service? Absolutely not. To claim such would contradict the Bible’s clear teaching on God’s love for His children. Instead, Jesus highlighted that we as God’s people are not to bring or seek glory for our own names, that we should not manufacture our own recognition. The acts we do, we do in faith and in devotion to the Lord. Humble faith is a keystone of Christian service. To increase in faith, we act in faith and humility.

Today’s Prayer Place: Lee Ave, Cleveland, OH 44106. Continue to pray for our neighbors and the children on this street. In about three weeks, a mission team will come and do a kid's camp for us.      

Running with a Reason

I wasn't able to write "Do What?" Part 2 today, so that post will have to wait until Wednesday. In the meantime, however, I'll just give a quick update. 

This weekend was ripe for conversations, especially Saturday. After watching a two-hour arts parade in the afternoon, I rode the bus over to Ohio City and ran in the Ohio City Run. That was my first run since high school, and I had a blast! More fulfilling than the run, however, were the conversations that flowed as a result. Though none were explicitly gospel-conversations, all had some kind of spiritual focus. Running with a reason, I was able to find common ground with those around me. 

Yesterday, I was able to have a Bible study with a young guy and play frisbee and read/act out the story of Zacchaeus with Jordan and Ed. I was thankful for the opportunities, and I'm praying for many more! 

Today's Prayer Place: Wade Oval Park, Cleveland, OH 44106. This is a park that we hang out in quite often, and occasionally we're able to meet people through our interactions there.