What Happens When our Cultural Values are Different?

Yesterday I wrote a status on Facebook and then I took it down a few minutes later because I realized it sounded like the people I get annoyed by on Facebook.  It sounded like a plea for attention.  Since I didn't feel like elaborating to show that it wasn't, I took it down.  Perhaps a blog post is a better medium to communicate deeper thoughts than a quick status. 

Being isolated has given me plenty of time to ponder why I feel isolated.  That's a process that has not been particularly enjoyable.  Any time you have to peer into yourself for analysis through the lens of scripture, it's not fun.  You end up hearing God say "see this over here, that's pride." "this thing over here, that's selfishness".  The answers I've found so far are pretty complicated and I certainly won't cover it all here.

I'm tired of the status quo.  With the way that our culture works.  Everyone's priorities are so wack.  I went to a seminar at the missions conference about the different things that people value in different cultures.  I realized that this is why I get frustrated and discouraged.  The things that this culture values do not line up with the things I value.  I value lifelong friendships, but this culture has no sense of commitment.  We're so ADD  when it comes to building friendships.  We just get distracted and jump to the next thing in life.  Our life goals, professions, desires, whatever, are more important than friends, and so when the time comes we leave them behind.  And so I've lived this cycle my whole adult life of fully investing in a friendship just to have them move on to higher priorities.  I don't blame you for that, it's the way we were raised, it's our culture.  But every time it gets harder to invest in the next friendship.  

I write all this so that you, brothers and sisters in Christ, can understand me a little better.  When I admit to being lonely, it is not a plea for attention, but nearly the opposite.  It's an admission that I'm scared to cultivate new deep friendships because I fear they won't last.  And that is an issue of selfishness that my prideful self has a difficult time admitting. 

A few of my friendships, though separated geographically now, are still very precious to me and to the other person.  Overcoming the obstacles of physical distance is worth the fight.  I'm glad you guys think so too. You know who you are.  It hurts my heart not having you nearby.  

Here am I. Send Me

This is part 4 in a series of blog posts reflecting on my time in Romania.

Many of you who have heard the way I talk about Romania know that my heart did not return to America.  I fell in love with a country I knew nothing about a year ago.  Longing to be back in Romania made it difficult to find motivation to do anything here in Michigan.  God picked me up out of my sorrow and told me he still had a job for me here in Michigan, which I have regained my excitement for.  Yet he also told me that Romania will, one day, be my home. 

About 4 weeks ago I was speaking with my friend Simeon in a coffee shop.  We were discussing the possibility of me moving to Romania for long-term missions.  I said that the main roadblock is my debt.  I have to be debt free in order to go.  While I was still having this conversation, I got an email from my realtor saying that we had an offer on my house.   The offer was for the amount that I needed to pay off all my debt.  I do not believe in coincidence.  I believe that it was a crystal clear sign from God that this was his will for me.  He knew that I would need such clarity.  The past month has been difficult and discouraging as it starts to sink in that I will be leaving behind those who are very dear to me.  The thought of being on the other side of the world from my best friend and my family has been wearing on me.  He knew that I would need such clarity, or maybe I would be tempted to settle for the comfortable.  He has called me out into the unknown and I am as excited as I am freaked out.  I don't know what the future timeline will be for this.  I am tentatively planning to spend most of the summer next year in Romania and investigate the possibility of moving there long-term.  I would appreciate your prayers as I continue to seek the Lord's will and as I will begin to raise support soon for this.  

"Here am I. Send me!"  -Isaiah 6:8b

Preaching in Romania

This is installment 3 in a series of blog posts that reflect on my time in Romania. 

When we were preparing  to leave for Europe, Jim Morgan told me that they will ask me to preach while I'm over there.  I was a little freaked out by the thought, but also very excited.  Preaching with a translator sounded very intimidating.  It was one of those experiences where half of me didn't want to do it because it was uncomfortable, and half of me knew I shouldn't pass on an opportunity like that.  Part of the goal of a short term missions trip is to throw ourselves from comfort to experience our faith outside of the familiar.  I spoke 4 times and experienced services at 3 different churches.  I loved it. 

In the region we were in, the only two denominations within evangelical Christianity were Baptists and Pentecostals.  Certainly none is better than one when it comes to divisions in the Church, but it was so refreshing to only have one.  There are so many denominations in America that I couldn't even find an accurate estimated number;  it's somewhere in the thousands.  We have the mindset that we cannot get along with other Christians with minor theological differences.  This leaves us with a broken family that is beyond dysfunctional.  Yet, in Romania, there are 2.  I even saw Baptists and Pentecostals working together for Christ.  What a novel idea. 

After I gave my first message we were invited to have lunch with the pastor and his family.  This man was an inspiration to me.  I would like to be more like him.  He is the pastor in 2 villages that are 15 minutes apart, but he has no car, so he hitchhikes between the two.  When we ate together he told me that he was nervous having an American pastor give a message because American pastors water down the Gospel; but he was very pleased with what I said.  From the state of Christianity in America I can see that his critique is accurate, but I'm encouraged that he exempted me from that critique.  

“In Darkness God's Truth Shines Most Clear.”

As promised, this is part 2 in a series of blog posts about my time in Romania and various other places in Europe.

On our way to Romania we visited the Dachau Concentration Camp outside of Munich, Germany.  I'm still processing that experience.  I'll never be able to fully wrap my mind around it.  I've learned about what happened there, and many places like it, my whole life.  In the last decade I've been especially fascinated by WWII.  Yet, standing there, in the very location that at least 100,000 Jews and enemies of the Nazi's died, was different.  They played a half hour movie with real footage from the liberation and stories of atrocity.  There was video and pictures of the stacks of emaciated corpses laying there with their eyes open looking back at you.  I'll never forget those eyes for the rest of my life.  I knew that going there would be difficult.  It affected me in a deep way that will take me much longer to process. 

At the far end of the camp there were several religious memorials representing different religions that had prisoners there.  The most interesting of which was the protestant memorial, which was actually a church.  Not just a church building, but a church body.  The sign said that they meet there every Sunday for worship.  Can you imagine going to church in the very place where one of the worst atrocities of the world took place?  Incredible. 

I brought along the book The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom.  It was my intention to read it before we went to Dachau, but I didn't start it until the day after.  In it she tells the incredible and true story of how she was a Christian in Holland and hid Jews during the war.  Eventually she was imprisoned and sent to a concentration camp.  The pages came to life because I had walked around a camp and could visualize what she described.  Her story is one of forgiveness that could only have come from Christ.  Her and her sister would lead Bible studies and pray for the very people that were torturing them.  If you've never read The Hiding Place, go on Amazon, pay the $4, and read it.  It will affect you. 

“....And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world's healing hinges, but on His. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives along with the command, the love itself.” -Corrie Ten Boom

Not coincidentally, I am writing about this on September 11th.  A day in which we remember a different atrocity.  Both of these were born of hate, and both of them left deep scars of hatred in the victims.  The context of this quote from Corrie is difficult.  She is standing in front of the man who tortured her.  Having accepted Christ's forgiveness, he is asking for hers.  No one is too far from Christ's love.  Not a terrorist and not a Nazi.  We must pray for those who persecute us, that they would experience the love of Christ. Only then will we be free of the hatred that binds us.  

“In darkness God's truth shines most clear.” - Corrie Ten Boom

Stay tuned for part 3

Go Out to the Roads and Country Lanes and Compel Them to Come In.

This is the first in a series of blog posts reflecting on my time in Romania.  I've chosen to break it up into smaller nuggets because I don't like reading really long blog posts and I'm guessing you don't either... but there is much to share!

Many of you that know me well know that I was created for adventure.  That I'm far from content living an average life as an American.  When I was young, I had a dream of being rich with a big house, a white picket fence, a bunch of children, in the suburbs of America.  Looking back at that now, it seems more like a nightmare.  It should come as no surprise then, that when I leave the country I have the time of my life.  This summer I got to go to Europe for 3 weeks and spend 2 in Romania.  It was incredible. 

We were there to help Jim Morgan with his ministry Cinema on Wheels, but it was so much more than that.  I was captivated by the culture.  Every little thing about it.  Jim was probably tired of all my questions.  What is this for? Why do they do this? What do they think about this? etc.  The best part of the culture were the Christians.  The Christians that I got to know in Romania were different.  Different than I'm used to here.  I worked with a group of young people that were an inspiration to me.  Teenagers that had taken Jesus' words seriously and answered the call to serve him with their lives.  Not Jesus plus all their other plans... just Jesus.   My initial thought was, wow, Christian teenagers like this actually exist.  That was a refreshing realization.  (I say that as an exaggeration, I know some other Christian teens like this.  One of them came with me).

I love the theme verse for Cinema on Wheels, because it's exactly what we were doing.  Luke 14:23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.'"  The parable that this is quoted from is very intriguing.  I've spent some time studying it.  Go and read Luke 14:15-24 and then come back here.   God's not interested in your excuses, he wants all of you.  I like Warren Wiersbe's thoughts on it.

People today make the same mistake that the people in the parable made: they delay in responding to the invitation because they settle for second best. There is certainly nothing wrong with owning a farm, examining purchases, or spending an evening with your wife. But if these good things keep you from enjoying the best things, then they become bad things. The excuse-makers were actually successful people in the eyes of their friends, but they were failures in the eyes of Jesus Christ. 1

In Romania, in a very literal sense, we went "out to the roads and country lanes and [compelled] them to come".  And they came.  We would walk down the village road inviting people to come. And they came.  James and I helped with the ministry for 8 nights.  5 of those nights over 100 people came.  Everyone that was there heard the Gospel.  I don't know how many people responded to it, I don't think we need to keep a soul saving tally to boost our own pride.  We simply invited them to the Great Banquet. 

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^[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 231). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Refocus Reset Reshape

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."  Proverbs 3:5-6

I reflect on this verse a lot.  In fact, it is my life verse, at least until my heart is ready for a new one.  When I wander around my grandfather's house I see it everywhere.  On his desk, on his workbench, on post-it notes.  It is obvious that he meditated on it every day.  I saw him live it out though.  I think that's why it's my favorite verse. 

This spring has been a test of faith.  And by that I mean it has been very stressful.  A house that is sitting empty and not selling; paying to live in a house that's not mine in Muskegon; and plunging deep into debt.   Granted, it's debt that will be gone once the house sells, but in the meantime it makes me very uncomfortable. 

I knew I'd lose everything.  This verse was on my heart when I decided to come to Muskegon.  It's not my own "understanding" or wisdom to leave my friends behind and lose all my money to come to a town I despised when I left it 9 years ago so that I can get paid pennies.  It's not about me though, it's about how God wants me to serve Him.  So he made my path clear.  But I'm not going to romanticize the outcomes of this decision for you.  I'm not going to say that every day is so amazing because I chose to serve God with my life.  It's crazy hard.  Full of discouragement and heartache.  But know that I wholeheartedly believe it's worth it.  When I'm laying on my deathbed someday,  would I have more joy saying I had a big TV and nice shoes, or that I allowed myself to be used by God to make a difference in people's lives? 

Yet, sometimes the discouragements, stresses, and drains of other people, finances, and my own personal failures can easily distract me from my purposes in ministry.  It is distracting from my own walk with the Lord, and when that falters, the ministry quickly follows.  Ministry can so quickly fall into a directionless attempt to just get past the next Sunday or Wednesday.  That is why I'm very excitedly taking a sabbatical for the month of June.  My time will be spent memorizing large portions of scripture, taking long walks with Jesus, and hashing out a new vision for youth ministry for the new school year.  My phone will be shut off for large portions of these weeks.  It's time I make my relationship with God more important than my ministry and my relationships.  

In the end, the things I accomplish, the things I sacrifice, none of that matters more than loving God.  It's actually all just garbage if I don't love God more.  The Bible compares it to used menstrual clothes.  He wants me, just me, infinitely more than he wants my offerings and sacrifices.  So I am going to my "desert" for a while to be with God. 

Iron Sharpens Iron: Where Do I Find More Iron?

My heart is so heavy these days.  People that care about me take notice and ask why I am down.  That's not an easy question to answer.  I squeeze out part of an answer, but a complete explanation evades me.  I've thought a lot about it myself, and I feel like I've come to a few conclusions.  

There are plenty of things in life on the surface that are very easy to blame.  The weather discourages me greatly.  My chronic cough is equally discouraging.  Being behind on my bills is hard.  The ministry is tough.  The list goes on, but I'll cut it off there because my intent is not to complain.  Sure, if none of these things were true my heart would be less heavy; but they are not the true reason.   

I know the answer to what brings joy regardless of circumstances; regardless of the weather, sickness, and financial hardships.  A passionate, zealous, and earnest pursuit of God based on an extravagant love of Christ.  That's what brings complete joy.  I know this to be true from John 15 and, my favorite book, Philippians.  Paul said he has learned the "secret" to being content in every situation.  That word appears nowhere else in scripture; how mysterious. 

I am not satisfied with the deepness of my relationship with God.  In fact, it has been more intimate at times in the past than it is now.  It's not from a lack of desire.  I want more than anything to be as close to God as I possibly can while I'm still in this earthly body.  So I look back to the times when I have felt the closest to my savior and examine them for clues.  The common denominator I found was being surrounded by people who were seeking the same thing.  Iron sharpens iron.  I look to the Bible and I see people working in pairs.  Jesus sends them out in pairs.  Paul had ministry partners.  Edifying each other, building each other up, growing together.  Do you know what happens when you spread apart the logs in a fire?  A log on its own will likely go out. 

A passion for Jesus Christ and his mission will not be sustained on its own.  The reason I have a heavy heart is because no one around me is passionate, I mean really passionate, about following Christ.  No one is willing to follow him with reckless abandon.  No one is willing to lay down their own plans for their life to be where God wants them.  No one is willing to give up everything they have to see God's will done.  No one is willing to love God so much that, in comparison, their family relationships look like hate.  Jesus really said that's how much we need to love Him.

There's got to be someone.  Someone who shares my vision.  Someone who God has in store to partner in ministry with me.  That is my prayer.  Would you join with me in praying that God would send someone to sharpen my faith?