Day 18

Its day 18 here in Memphis. The best description of what we're dealing with here was spoken at debriefing last night. Our supervisor said this..."Memphis is a battle that God is winning." You can feel it. You can feel the warfare and hurt that these people are living in. You can taste the defeat that they've been dealing with for years, maybe even a lifetime. It's heart breaking but at the same time it's exciting. It's encouraging to see a generation so ready to be the change. I've spent the last two afternoons at a local community center and I can't even begin to describe that. The kids there were so inviting, welcoming and loving. They would do anything just to have someone to chase around the playground or have a princess club with. It's made me grateful for the family that I have and the neighborhood that I live in but even more than that it's made me ready to step up and change what I can. My afternoon project got changed back to the nursing home which has been quite and experience. It's crazy to go really from one end of the spectrum to another. Working with people at the very beginning of their lives in the morning and then people who might not have that much longer at the end. One of my good friends is Mr. Art. We win bingo and sing Elvis songs. I know you're all probably jealous. I've already learned so much this Summer and I can't wait to keep going. The farmers tan is steadily improving and my Elvis knowledge is growing daily.

Walking in Memphis

This is day twelve in Memphis. God has already been working in ways I can't begin to explain. Working with these kids every day has wrecked my life. Kids that cry when they hear sirens and come to Bible camp with black eyes. Kids who will do anything for a positive word or a quick hug. It's a culture that is so different than everything I'm used to. It's hard for me to understand what keeps these kids going when sometimes the only thing they go home to is an empty house. Looking into their eyes you see brokenness and sadness that would take years to even explain. They need Jesus more than I can understand. God give me strength.

Give Me Revolution

I've been doing a lot of thinking on the matter and finally reached the conclusion that the main thing holding Christians back from being revolutionary is our lack of faith. If we really trusted God with everything we wouldn't be concerned with asking Him "where will I go to school next fall" or "what mission trip am I going on next," we would ask "How can I best glorify You with my life?" We should ask that. It's a humbling thought to know that God doesn't need us. Not at all. He chooses to use us so that we might glorify Him. We can do that through many ways like worship, loving His people and simply living in faith. Since it's the only reason we're still here after getting saved why aren't we doing a better job of that? Why do we still concentrate on outward appearances over the heart? Why do we get caught up in the church's standards opposed to God's? Why do we pay attention to any opinions other than God's?
So many times I catch myself wanting a revolution. Wanting to see this world revolutionized for Jesus Christ. Wanting to see walls broken down in the church and just to see people that love Jesus with all their hearts and aren't afraid to live like it. But we can't sit around waiting for a radical change in life and society as we know it. Revolutions begin with a thought and then action. Revolutions begin when one person takes a stand for what they believe in no matter the cost. They begin when something makes so much sense that you can't help but to forget everything you thought you knew and change the direction your heading.
We know all the right answers. We know about the power and love that God abounds with. We know stories about martyrs who died happy, simply knowing that they had glorified God with their life. What's stopping us from forgetting about everything that people might think of us and living our lives with reckless abandon because we know the Creator of the Universe? What are we waiting for? Sometimes we need to stop looking and waiting for someone to start something and start it ourselves. Put everything aside and live like we love Jesus. We can't wait for a revolution to come along for us to join. We have to be the revolution. Why? Because we have personal relationships with the The Alpha and Omega. The Beginning and The End. The First and the Last. The One that Was, That IS, that Is to Come. Why not?

From NYC to Memphis

I just realized I haven't written in a long time. I've been sort of busy lately between a benefit concert for Atlanta and then a mission trip to New York City. But let me back up and start with Memphis. As you probably know, God has given me a huge heart for inner city missions. In fact I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it's what He wants me to do with my life right now. A few months ago I applied for a sojourners position with the North American Mission Board in Memphis, Tennessee. Two weeks ago I got accepted and I couldn't be more excited! I know God is calling me there and I can't think of spending my Summer in a better way. Here's where it gets crazy...
Three days ago I got back from a mission trip to New York City with the Journey Church. I went with twenty-two students and adults from my church and we stayed at the David Dean House in Brooklyn. The David Dean house was so nice and the owners, Mike and Amanda were more than hospitable. On our first night there I heard Mike mention that he and Amanda had lived in Memphis for a few years before moving to NYC. I asked them if they had heard of Street Reach ministries (where I'm working this Summer) and not only had they heard of it, but they worked there! I was completely speechless and we immediately realized that this was completely a God thing because what are the odds? Needless to say that was a HUGE confirmation from God that I am in His will. That was just the beginning to a wonderful week where I made the following realizations:

1. The people living in New York are no different than the people living anywhere else. They may walk a little bit faster but they're still just people and they have good days and bad days just like we do.
2. If you have a friend that looks strangely like Michael Phelps it's fun to scream "IS THAT MICHAEL PHELPS!?!?" when you are in Central Park and watch all the tourists freak out.
3. When it's twenty degrees, raining and windy, Starbucks caramel macchiatos are simply H-E-A-V-E-N.
4. Some of the friendliest people are the ones you meet in the subway or on Wall Street on rainy mornings.
5. The best directions come from those who speak the same language you do.
6. If a purse vendor tells you to "get these purses before the police do" that usually means that they aren't the legal kind...
7. When you ask God for opportunities to witness He isn't going to leave you hanging :)
8. You don't really know what turbulence is until the flight attendants start buckling their seatbelts.
9. The Toys R Us inside of Times Square has a ferris wheel inside of it.
10. Mr. Softee's ice cream is in a league of it's own.

"Missions"

This morning I spent four hours raking and bagging leaves to raise money for a NYC mission trip. It of course made me think of the trip which caused me to think about missions in general. That is, what we've made missions to be. I was thinking about how when Jesus sent out His disciples, He didn't send them out for a week. They weren't gone for a month, or a year or even two years. They made that their life. It's easy to brush that off and justify our self absorbed lifestyles by saying that it was easier for them than it would be for us. Is it? Do we have half as much faith in God as they did?
I've been thinking about this a lot lately and I finally came to a conclusion. Missions needs to be a lifestyle for us, not just a once or twice a year deal. If we believe the Bible, then we believe that all believers are called to be witnesses. Maybe God has specifically called you to Africa. Does that mean your going to ignore the lost people in your neighborhood and at your school? It shouldn't. I hate that when people think about missions, they tend to think along the lines of trips. It shouldn't only be about a trip. However if you must think of it like that, let's remember that earth is not our home so while we are on this "trip" let's think more towards where we are going then where we are. Shall we?

Beautiful Footprints

Romans 10:14-15 - "How then can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'"
I absolutely love that verse. I love how it narrows down the description of what preaching and witnessing should be like. We obviously shouldn't hop on mission trips simply because we like the location but I don't think that being called is emphasized nearly enough. I recently had a conversation with a friend who told me that she was going on a mission trip because she prayed about it. I waited for her to go on and tell me that God had specifically called her but she didn't. Is that all missions have become? If we pray about it and don't get struck down by fire then we assume that God must be calling us? I just don't understand. I highly recommend this verse to anyone considering and praying about missions.
I also love the last part of the verse, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news." I got to read this verse to a group of girls on our Thanksgiving mission trip to Atlanta. A few girls were complaining of sore and blistered feet after we had taken a city walk on the first day and then helped at the SHO Chili Outreach the next day. At first we all had a good laugh about how "beautiful" their feet were but then I think it sort of hit all of us. As Christians we have good news, we should be bringing it to those around us. Our feet weren't beautiful in the sense that we had new Jimmy Choo's and pedicures, they were beautiful because that day God had used them to bring good news.
In all actuality no one's feet were that bad, nothing a band-aid wouldn't fix. It made me think about the disciples feet and how beautiful they must have been. I mean we aren't talking two hour city walks around nice, paved Atlanta. They walked from city to city on dirt roads wearing sandals. Talk about leaving some beautiful footprints! What kind of footprints are we leaving?

ADONAI

I got to go to a Torah dedication service this morning at the Messianic congregation I attend. They are based at my church so it's cool going to services twice during the weekend. During the service they sang this song and it almost made me cry. I absolutely love it! It was so cool to hear everyone praising God. People brought up in Jewish homes and Southern Baptists all praising the same God. Our God. Here is the song:

ADONAI -

Lord of eternity
The mystery behind the veil
Lord over Heaven and earth
God of Israel

Come with Your wisdom and power
Clothed in Your honor and strength
Lord hear the cry of our hearts
Come O conquering king

And every eye will see
Your glory fill the sky

Adonai Adonai
Every knee will bow to you Lord Most High
Adonai Adonai
You alone are God every tongue will cry
Adonai

Here Jerusalem waits
Praises lifted on high
Here the beautiful gates
Long to see You arise

When all of Zion sings
Barch ha ba b'shem
You are the Lord over all the earth
You are the Lord over all the earth