"The World's One Hope" - By Bertolt Brecht

"Is oppression as old as the moss around ponds?
The moss around ponds is not avoidable.
Perhaps everything I see is natural, and I am sick and want to remove what cannot be removed?
I have read songs of the Egyptians, of their men who built the pyramids.
They complained of their loads and asked when oppression would cease.
That's four thousand years ago.
Oppression, it would seem, is like the moss and unavoidable.

When a child is about to be run down by a car one pulls it on to the pavement.
Not the kindly man does that, to whom they put up monuments. Anyone pulls the child away from the car.
But here many have been run down, and many pass by and do nothing of the sort.
Is that because it's so many who are suffering? Should one not help them all the more because they are many?
One helps them less.
Even the kindly walk past and after that are as kindly as ever they were before walking past.

The more there are suffering, then, the more natural their sufferings appear.
Who wants to prevent the fishes in the sea from getting wet?
And the suffering themselves share this callousness towards themselves and are lacking in kindness towards themselves.
It is terrible that human beings so easily put up with existing conditions, not only with the sufferings of strangers but also with their own.
All those who have thought about the bad state of things refuse to appeal to the compassion of one group of people for another.
But the compassion of the oppressed for the oppressed is indispensable.
It is the world's one hope."

In the midst of your suffering today, to whom can you extend compassion?

Aida

When I was a freshman in high school, the band went to New York and I had the privilege of seeing the musical Aida.  I absolutely loved the show and have since listened to the soundtrack approximately 600-700 times.  This is a story I know...or so I thought.

This past Saturday night I was able to learn how mistaken I was when one of our high school students invited us to come see his school's version of the Tony and Grammy award-winning musical.  As it turns out, between several of the songs there are some brief connecting scenes that, surprising enough, have some value.  They enhance the context of these songs I know so well and shape the story in ways I had completely forgotten.

I was delighted to reconsider this saga, contemplating themes of power and oppression, duty and freedom, and our culture's views on love.  The last 654 times I have listened to the soundtrack, I have hardly thought on the issues this show brings to light, preferring instead to be entertained by the pop melodies brought to us by Elton John.

It made me wonder how often I do this with the Bible.  How often do I skip to just my favorite parts of the story, looking to be entertained, rather than wade through the full weight of the gospel story in all its intricate nuances?  I would tell you that I know this story well, but have I forgotten the connecting scenes?

God, please reveal to me the parts of your story I am quick to cut out, that I might more clearly see and ponder your full gospel beauty.

Tennis ball.

In my line of work, I frequently have to come up with ways to entertain large amounts of children for an
extended period of time.  Frustrated by competing with the fantasy world of video games and the constant lure of cell phones, there are days I return home hoarse and exhausted from trying to out-entertain touch screens and 3D animation.  Today however, something different happened...

As I stepped onto the playground of Amelia Earhart elementary, listening to Humberto rattle off the latest details of some cartoon show, I pulled a tennis ball out of my backpack and began bouncing it up and down.  Immediately he stopped what he was saying, scampered about six feet to the side, held his hands up and yelled, "Catch!"  So I bounced the ball to him.

"Ooh, ooh - toss the ball to me!" cried Francisco.  Kids began clambering around this tennis ball as it soared, bounced, and rolled all over the blacktop.  Cyndy and Margaret ran up to me:

"Miss Rachel, what are you playing?  Can we play?"
"Sure!  We're just throwing and bouncing the ball around.  If it comes near you, grab it and do something with it!"

Kids kept coming up asking about this "game" we were playing and before long, over half of the fourth and fifth grade class were all jubilantly engaged in the simplicity of a single tennis ball; a common two-and-a-half inch ball covered with green fuzz drawing in 40 kids in a flash.  We darted all over the blacktop almost as fast as the smiles flashing across kids faces.  We even had a beautiful moment of teamwork as we pyramid-ed a kid up to the basketball hoop where the ball had gotten stuck.  And not once did I see kids arguing or fighting over who got to throw or catch next, but they joyfully shared together.

As I walked away from recess, pondering the magnetism of this fuzz ball, I was reminded of the power and simplicity of the gospel.  Sometimes I try so vigorously to decorate and dress up the gospel, working hard to prove its relevance and shininess.  I think we all walk away from that exhausted and unconvinced that the masses actually saw our good news as better than the American "good news," which promises an easy, comfortable, self-centered life full of instant gratification.

We need to be reminded once again of the simple beauty of the gospel, that "through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, God is making all things new both personally for those who repent and believe, and cosmically as He redeems culture and creation"* from it's brokenness.  This is not more entertaining than MTV, Sunday Night Football, or Thursday night's finest, but it is far superior.  Or as Paul would say, "Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (Phil. 3:8).

And the kids showed me how to test whether or not we're living out this simple gospel.  Are people running up asking, "What are you doing? Can I play?"  Is the Church working together, sharing what they have with great joy, and effortlessly attracting those who are far away?  Or do people see us and say, "Oh yeah, I like that kind of music so I'll come for a bit," or "This is just the program that I was looking for to fill my Tuesday evenings."  Is the attraction to Jesus the fancy life He offers and the high-quality sound system on Sunday mornings?  Or is the attraction to Jesus the joy of chasing this life-changing gospel, knowing with confidence that all things will be made new and that there are millions of glee-filled, blacktop warriors running along with me?

So I ask you, wanna play?


*Chandler, Matt, et al.
     2012 Creature of the Word. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group.

Serving Like Jesus

It seems as though lately I've been doing more of reading other people's blogs than writing my own (though I've done some writing for http://nextphaseblog.blogspot.com), but here is a post that I thought particularly poignant to our time.  As a culture, we've gotten beautifully caught up in serving and giving, though I fear sometimes it is more about making ourselves look or feel good then about genuinely helping our neighbor.  In this article by Jamie the Very Worst Missionary, she examines how Jesus served compared to our typical mission trip model.  Check it out:

http://www.theveryworstmissionary.com/2012/04/healthy-short-term-missions-do-it-like.html

Luke 11:4

 *For those of you who don't know, I am working at Mercy Street with their summer internship program.  Here is a post I wrote for their blog about a recent experience and some of the lessons learned.

Forgive our sins, as we forgive everyone who has done wrong to us.  And keep us from being tempted.  – Luke 11:4

This past week we had a beautiful opportunity to put this verse into practice.  Last Monday, we were able to visit a local Goodwill and learn about their many community development projects beyond simply their thrift store.  Unfortunately there were some miscommunications about the rules and we did not conduct ourselves in a way that best represents our priorities, Mercy Street, or most importantly, the Lord.  While this was not an experience to celebrate, we can most certainly praise God for teaching us a valuable lesson and growing our character through it all.

Forgive our sins…

It was important that we asked for forgiveness for the areas where we had fallen short.  For several of the interns, this was a new skill to develop.  It takes a bold combination of humility and courage to walk up to someone and admit your faults, but this morning, all of the interns dressed up, headed over to Goodwill, and handed Ms. Georgette Caldwell hand-written letters of apology, as well as their salaries from Monday as a token of their sincerity.

…as we forgive everyone who has done wrong to us.

As we considered how much God loves us and how much He has already forgiven us, we knew it was important to offer forgiveness to Goodwill.  Before heading over, we even got to discuss the idea of forgiving those who aren’t asking for forgiveness or who aren’t repentant.  How often do we ignore our own sin, yet through His work on the cross, Jesus has even forgiven us of the sins we’re unaware we committed.

And keep us from being tempted.

This last part of the verse is often separated from the part about forgiveness, but I think it shows an important piece of the repentance process.  “May I not be drawn back into my sin.”  We praise God for forgiving us of the sins we have yet to commit, but I praise Him even more that He gives us the strength and power to not sin as we used to.  If we ask for forgiveness, but do nothing to change our behavior, it doesn’t appear as though we are truly repentant.  Today when we apologized to Goodwill, we also made a commitment to change our ways and act more respectfully in the future.

Thanks be to God for making a way for us to be reconciled to Him and reconciled to our fellow brothers and sisters.  Praise His Name for healing our relationship with Goodwill and bringing us back together.  We thank Him for teaching us about repentance and forgiveness, lessons that are not easy to learn and therefore often skipped over.  We are also grateful this truth found in Psalm 103:8-12:

The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

     slow to anger, abounding in love.

He will not always accuse,

     nor will he harbor his anger forever;

he does not treat us as our sins deserve

     or repay us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

     so great is his love for those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,

     so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

"I'm ever more convinced that to embrace struggle is to welcome grace."

- Courtney Chapman

Stop Reading My Blog

...and read this one, because it's way better than anything I have to say.

The Beginning of Wisdom, by Jen Wilkin: "Why Transformation Eludes Us"

Amena Brown

I was introduced to the work of spoken word poet Amena Brown at a Gungor concert the other weekend.  Both artists are fantastic, but I highly encourage you to check out some of her work.  To whet your appetite, here is a bit of what grabbed my attention:

This second video is an adaptation of her poem "You."  See another version at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATowY8fuAEY.  Or her poem, The End, is also pretty great.  Really, just check out all of her stuff :)

amenabrown.com

A Response to "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IAhDGYlpqY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru_tC4fv6FE

These are two videos that have been posted all over facebook.  The first one, "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus," has gone viral with over 15 million views.  The second one, "Why I Love Religion, And Love Jesus," is newer and beginning to make the rounds.

Ultimately, I think both of these videos are trying to make the same point, though they seem to be arguing from opposite ends.  Jefferson Bethke, the spoken word artist and writer for the first video, notes that this poem is to highlight the difference between Jesus and false religion.  Unfortunately, despite the line confessing that he does not hate the Church, the video still comes across suggesting that all religion is bad because it gets in the way of following Jesus.  Fr. Pontifex, the lyricist (and I believe performer) for the second video, comes back to argue that religion is most often the vehicle for following Jesus and the oft-needed framework and structure.

It seems like these days a lot of people have been burned by a church, thus making them "spiritual, but not religious."  There are two main ways we can respond to this:
1) Turn our frustrations against certain aspects and people of the Church and reject the whole thing entirely.
2) Recognize the broken and weak parts and work to redeem the Church as the Bride of Christ.

It seems to me that God is in the redemption business, so maybe with His help we can straighten some of this stuff out.

I want to commend both Jefferson Bethke and Fr. Pontifex for making creative and inspiring videos charging people to follow Jesus more whole-heartedly and not get caught up in empty actions and promises.  Their work is valuable and important.  However, it is important that we define our terms in this type of discussion (what do we mean by "religion"?).  I also encourage everyone to spend less time discussing what is right and wrong, so they have more time to simply be obedient to Christ and live out their convictions.  I'll close with this response by Dietrich Bonhoeffer to Luke 10:25-29:

"We have literally no time to sit down and ask ourselves whether so-and-so is our neighbour or not.  We must get into action and obey - we must behave like a neighbour to him.  But perhaps this shocks you.  Perhaps you still think you ought to think out beforehand and know what you ought to do.  To that there is only one answer.  You can only know and think about it by actually doing it.  You can only learn what obedience is by obeying.  It is no use asking questions; for it is only through obedience that you come to learn the truth."

The Tentmaker's Dilemma and Joy

This is the first time I have tried the tentmaking approach to ministry.  I love the fact that it gives me the ability to volunteer in various ways, instead of being a financial burden on those I wish to serve.  However, there are times when work and ministry conflict, at which point I must decide whether to go be the hands and feet of Jesus, or whether to stay back and earn some money that will later enable me to be His hands and feet.  It is an interesting balance I have never had to maintain before, which has given me increased respect for everyone working in "the secular world" and also striving for that balance.  Erring to either side can be costly as one sets up work and money as an idol, and the other side fails to be a careful steward of the opportunities and resources provided by the Lord.

Being a tentmaker has also taught me to be more grateful for work and opportunities to earn an income when they come my way.  Growing up I always thought of work as "that annoying thing that gets in the way of having fun."  After working at a camp for a number of years, I came to learn how much fun work can be.  And now I'm also learning that work can enable fun and service later.  Every hour of work is one more opportunity to take someone out to lunch, another bit of gas to drive a friend to the airport, or maybe just the money to pay rent and stay one more month in this beautiful city God has placed me in.

So I take my hat off to all of you who have been balancing earning an income and serving others for years now.  And I also want to encourage you as you plug in one more hour at the office, one more late night waiting tables, or however you currently find yourself employed.  Remember that every dollar into your pocket is another dollar you can use to bless someone.  Get creative in what that looks like, and you might find that grueling job to be a little more enjoyable when it is a means to someone else's happiness.


"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
     "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'"  - Matthew 25:37-40

New Year's Resolution Bitterness

As we find ourselves at a time of the year where people are focused on New Year's resolutions and how things will be different in 2012, I confess that I find myself resistant to join the tradition of resolutions.

Perhaps it's the fact that I've never successfully kept a New Year's resolution through to the end of January, but I seem to be in good company on that one.  I think it has more to do with the fact that people are resolving to be different based on the time of the year, rather than a true desire to change.  As a procrastinator myself, I recognize the down falls of planning a later resolution instead of just beginning your new resolution.  If you want to make a change, why not begin immediately on December 29th instead of waiting until January 1st?  Then when January 17th comes and the old routines have taken over again and you struggle to remember what you had even resolved to do, you give up, saying how you've already blown it for this year, but maybe next year you'll do better.  If one were truly resolved, failure would not be the end, but merely a starting over.

It's not the resolution I am opposed to, merely the fact that it is a New Year's resolution.  It is a wonderful desire to grow, change, evolve, and improve yourself.  I'm just concerned that there is a toxicity in linking this desire to a time of year that can delay and/or cut short the hard work and process of personal growth.

My encouragement to everyone making resolutions, New Year's or not, is to be full of patience and grace toward yourself.  Growth takes time, as we see in the parable of the sower.  When the seed fell on rocky places, it grew very quickly, but it could not last because it didn't have any roots.  So take the time to grow deep roots.  Be "like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.  Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.  Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit." (Jer. 17:8)  We see how patient God constantly is with us ("But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.... Give your strength to your servant" Ps. 86:15-16); why should we treat ourselves any differently?  So go ahead and make a resolution, but don't wait until tomorrow to start it.  And when you fail, don't give up.  The fight isn't over.  Pray to God to give you strength and keep working at it.  You don't have to wait until next year to try again.

Missionary?

"So what will you be doing in Dallas?  Do you have a job yet?"

I find myself awkwardly fumbling for a response, not really sure how to explain myself.

Can I say that I'm a missionary?  Is that appropriate to what I'll be doing?

I hesitate to claim the title 'missionary' as images from End of the Spear come to mind and I think of people in primitive or rustic places, literally sacrificing their lives to make God known.  Dallas isn't exactly primitive with its skyscrapers and multilayered highway system, nor is my three-bedroom apartment with dishwasher and walk-in closets rustic, so I would hate to presume the label when I know others have given so much more than anything I am doing.

"I'm hoping to get involved in ministry."

She stares back confused, clearly questioning my plan and wondering if "hopes" will pay rent.
"Oh, okay."  She's not sure what to say, so I try to save the faltering conversation.

"I will be working for my friend's dad to pay the bills, but that's not really the focus of what I'll be doing in Dallas."

"Oh, okay," she responds, this time with understanding.  "So what is the job?"

She does not understand.  I explain the job, and hope that by the next time the question is asked, I will have a concrete ministry to talk about.

---------------

Thomas Hale defines being a missionary as "one who is to witness across cultures."  Given this understanding, I think I can say I am a missionary.  Dallas, and in particular Oak Cliff (my neighborhood, AKA Little Mexico), is most definitely a different culture from the small-town Midwest I've grown up in.  Or perhaps the move is more comparable to going from Wheaton to the south side of Chicago, for those of you familiar with that geography.  Witnessing is also a large part of what I'm doing.  We just met our upstairs neighbors, and may now be nannying their children four days out of the week.  I've been attending Mercy Street, an after-school program for kids in the area.  And through church and other organizations, I am working to make known the glory of God.

I currently find myself working under the 'tentmaking' philosophy of missions, and thus think of myself less as a computer draftsman and more as a missionary.  If anybody reading this is a missionary and finds offense at this or thinks me bold to suggest my lifestyle in Dallas as missional, then I apologize.  This is me just trying to find the short-version response to "What do you do?"

And for anyone still curious about what I'm actually doing, but now too afraid to ask, please don't hesitate to call or email me.  Perhaps the post below will also help clarify things.

The Dallas Project

A seven month lease guarantees (caveat: James 4:13-15) that amount of time in Dallas, and thus I begin what I affectionately call, The Dallas Project.

What does it entail?
- Read the Bible in its entirety
- Pray for every country in the world
- Be involved in the local church
- Spend time outside of my typical context

- Make sacrifices to be able to give more generously*

- Live in a community of believers who are also participating in some or all parts of the Dallas Project

How does this happen?
- I am getting involved in LifePoint church.  I love their mission statement and hope to adopt it as my own: "Love God. Love people. Serve the city."
- I am getting involved in local ministries.
     - Mercy Street: an after school program once a week where we hang out (read: go completely crazy) for awhile, then we sing some songs, and then break into age groups for a lesson and craft.  So far I've gone with the youngest ones (1st-3rd grade) and they are hilarious.  My favorite quote from last week: "The opposite of kindness is a girl."  Sorry fellas ;)
     - Buckner International: I haven't actually done anything here because their volunteer coordinator is out of town this week, but it looks like an awesome organization.  They are a global ministry that strives to make life better for orphans and vulnerable children.  They combine my love of youth ministry and missions (and even have a camp!) so I am eager to find a way to get involved.
- I am working to get to know other people and families in the area and apartment complex.
- I am supporting myself as a computer draftsman for Spitze Graphics.  Spitze Graphics helps people apply for patents.  Working in AutoCAD, I will be cleaning up technical drawings and making them fit for the patent office.
- I'm living with four other wonderful girls who have warmly welcomed me into their apartment.

I say all of these things as though I am somehow responsible for them happening, but really this has been quite the journey of God opening up doors for me to come to Dallas and get connected.  He has put several books in my hands (Life Together by Bonhoeffer, Radical by Platt, Don't Waste Your Life by Piper) that have filled my head and heart with these ideas about how to live.  And most of all God has allowed me to grow up in a context where it is easy to know Him and feel His love.  It doesn't seem possible that I can take responsibility for too much of what has happened this first week in Dallas, nor the rest of my life prior.

Praise God for how well this transition has gone thus far and please pray that I can continue to find where God wants me to get involved here in Dallas.

*the first five pieces of the Dallas project are more or less David Platt's "Radical Challenge" from his book Radical.

Forgiven

"Repentence is not what we do in order to earn forgiveness; it is what we do because we have been forgiven.  It serves as an expression of gratitude rather than an effort to earn forgiveness."

- Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel

The Final Stretch

I have just concluded my last "off" weekend this summer.  Our final two week team arrived yesterday and when they leave we will have a brief six hour break before the final group arrives for just one week.  It is absurd to believe that eight and a half weeks have already passed and in another three and a half I'll be home (what?!).

This last outreach went well.  God took some time to teach me about patience.  One day the kids were just really misbehaving and not putting forth the effort I know they are capable of.  As I was getting frustrated, I realized God must feel this way all the time as He watches us fail to do what we know is right or as He has to teach us the same lessons again and again.  And despite all of my frustrations I truly love these kids and want the best for them - so how much more must God love us!  I am special to God in the same way these kids are special to me, and I mean that in both senses of the word "special."

"The challenge to grow and the grace to fail" is a quote I read this week by Judson Morgan describing the theater I was a part of at school.  I think it pleases God to put us in circumstances where we feel "the challenge to grow and the grace to fail."  God has done that for me here in the DR as I am pushed to learn more, yet surrounded by a wonderful, supportive community.

I also got to practice patience as Taúmi did not want to follow instructions one day; she was more interested in playing in the swing.  I held her as she continued to scream, cry, and squirm in attempts to get to the swing.  She made herself so upset that she even threw up a little.  However, God is good and rewards us as we stick it out through some of these difficult situations.  Taúmi is learning to follow directions and that she can't just do everything her own way.  Her tantrums are getting shorter each time and she is becoming a more willing participant.  Praise God for the work He is doing in these kids lives.

On a lighter note, one of the kids, Daniel, was playing dead on the porch where we were all eating lunch.  So Angelica, another little girl, ran over to give him "CPR" and was pressing on his stomach.  On one of the repetitions, she managed to squeeze a fart out of him!  Sorry for the crude humor, but it was one of the most hilarious things that has happened at school!  All of us teachers were practically rolling on the ground we were laughing so hard.

"But God does not take away life; instead, he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him." - 2 Samuel 14:14

Faith Journey

My roommate from last fall just sent me this quote.  As I ponder "what's next" (and I know I'm not alone in this inquiry), I thought it seemed particularly applicable:

"Living a life of faith means never knowing where you are being led.  But it does mean loving and knowing the one who is leading.  It is literally a life of faith, not of understanding and reason - a life of knowing Him who calls us to go.  Faith is rooted in the knowledge of a person and one of the biggest traps we fall into is the belief that if we have faith, God will surely lead us to success in the world."

- Oswald Chambers

Answered Prayer

Sometimes when we pray God says, "yes"
Sometimes when we pray God says, "wait"
And sometimes God says, "no," but it's only because He loves us
But God always answers our prayers
- A song we sing in the preschool classroom :)

Looking back over my various prayer requests, I am blown away to see they way God has really answered them.

Before the last outreach, I asked for your prayers that I would not fall into the rut of routine and that I could continue to find newness in everyday.  It was a wonderful outreach and this truly seemed to happen.  The things that were old had new life to them and somehow I ended up on a number of new adventures.  For example, we were in town buying some groceries when suddenly our car was needed to pick up a group of students.  Since there would not be enough room in the car for all of us, I hung out at the ice cream shop in hopes that they would someday return.  I really enjoyed having my own little solo adventure and having the chance to slow down and people-watch for a little bit.  Another day, a teacher at SI's preschool in Los Higos was sick, so based on my experience there last fall, I was elected to go fill in for the day.  It was a ton of fun to get back to Los Higos and see a bunch of people, have lunch with my Mamá again, and to try something different.  It seemed like these sorts of things were happening all outreach.

I also asked for you all to pray for Génesis, a new student in my classroom who was having a difficult time adjusting.  She is doing so well now!  She no longer cries throughout the day and is participating more and more in class.  What a darling Génesis is and it is cool to see her gain increasing mobility with a walker.  As she gets older and gains a little more balance and coordination, she will likely be able to walk without assistance.

In case I hadn't mentioned it, Angie, the lead teacher in my classroom, did in fact get her visa and is in Utah now for an English immersion program.  Lordis and I have taken charge of the class and have learned well how to work together and keep track of all our little munchkins.  In addition to Angie making it to the States, all of our teams have made it back and forth from the DR with no major issues.

Praise God for all of the amazing things He has done and for answering so many prayers.  God has been so good throughout the first three outreaches and I know He will continue to be faithful through the last three.  Please continue praying with me as I am considering coming on full-time staff with Students International and waiting for God's response.

"Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart" - Psalm 86:11

Leadership

As we come to the close of our third outreach this summer, it has become apparent to me that leadership greatly impacts a team.  As I reflect on the various teams that have come through here, I can see that the aims of the leaders are reflected in the aims of the students.  Servant-hearted leaders have servant-hearted students, etc.  This makes me grateful for the fact that we have such an amazing Leader, Jesus Christ, to set the example for us and teach us the right way to live.  If we can follow Him, hopefully we can reflect His heart to those around us as well.

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
- Philippians 2:1-2 

Clueless

On one occasion, while [Jesus] was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.  For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Acts 1:4-8

We really just have no clue, do we?  Here we see Jesus, after He has already risen from the dead, telling the disciples to hang around Jerusalem in order to wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The disciples are thinking that this is when the kingdom of God will become a reality over all the earth, yet here we are, 2000 years later, and that still has not happened.  They were way off in their guess.  Additionally, I can assume pretty assuredly that they had a wrong picture of what that might look like (as we likely do now too).  And this idea of "baptized with the Holy Spirit" must not have made any sense to them.  They were completely clueless and I'm not sure that we're much different 2000 years later.

I think this teaches us two main things.  First off, we need to trust God to provide all of the answers and that He has a plan for this broken world, since we have trouble grasping many of these concepts.  Secondly, we are called to be witnesses, as it says at the end.  Let's think about this idea of witness in the domain of a court room.  A witness is called upon solely to present what they have seen and know to be true based on their experiences.  They are not called to judge right or wrong, there is a jury for that.  They are not called to say what the future will hold, there is a judge for that.  They are not called to convince anyone of what the truth is, there is a lawyer for that.  Witnesses just say what they have seen.

In a letter to the Corinthians, Paul says, "When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.  For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." (1 Cor. 2:1-2)  Paul was intentionally clueless to everything but what he had witnessed in Christ Jesus, because nothing else really mattered.

So may our cluelessness lead us not into despair, but rather to trust more fully in God and to be obedient in what we do know.  May we be witnesses of what we have seen.

Another Perspective: From/For

From my experiences and observations, a frequent question of college students or others in life transitions is, "What do you want from me, God?"

The other day, someone was telling a story and when he asked this question he instead asked, "What do you want for me?"  At first it caught me off guard as a strange way to phrase the question, but I think it is much more accurate to what is actually going on.

God doesn't need anything from us.  He's not sitting around waiting for someone to step up because otherwise there is no way He can get the job done.  Rather He wants us to step up because He sees the benefits for us if we do.  God wants for us to get involved knowing that we will be changed and benefit from a closer relationship with Him.  His desire is for us, not to gain something from us. Sometimes our gain requires giving, but God is still asking out of motivation for us.  Throughout the Bible when we see God asking people for things, ultimately it's because He wants for them to be in right relationship with Him.  God could have freed the Israelites without Moses' help, yet He knew what an amazing opportunity for Moses it was, etc.

Another thing I love about this phrasing is that it shifts the focus off of what I'm doing and more appropriately to what God is doing.

What does God want for you?