god's hair

Near Clarkston is the largest Hindu temple of its kind outside of India--the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir. i have toured the mandir five or six times (honestly, i lost count). It is exquisitely constructed, taking over 1 million hours of volunteer labor to complete. At the top of each tower are spires with flags, representing what they believe to be "god's hair."

When i visit the mandir, i am overwhelmed by the reality of the darkness God brought me from and the darkness of those who still do not know Him. Every time i went this summer, i would watch the same elderly man fall prostrate before deaf and blind idols. It is disgusting and heart-breaking, and steals my heart for the lost who devote themselves to the 300 million deities of the Hindu faith. As they prayed to their gods, i prayed to mine the only sentence i could cognate: "Jesus, save them!" 

The last time i toured was after one of those crazy, Southern storms that brings fierce lightning. When we were inside their room of worship, i noticed a huge light rigged up to the side of the central dome. i had never seen it before, so after the tour i asked our guide about it. He said, "During the storm last week, lightning struck one of the spires on the roof and knocked out all our power and messed up some of the electrical work." On the outside, i was like, "Oh, sorry," while inside i was screaming "Praise the Lord!" i felt like God was showing up and showing out His power. This and a thousand other things give me hope that He is indeed at work among the Hindus of Clarkston. The gates of hell cannot stand against Christ and His Church.

____________________________________

visit

http://atlanta.baps.org/photo-gallery.html

for more photos of what's in your backyard

The Day Everything Went Right

Nineteen: the number of things in one day that did not go how i wanted, starting the moment i woke up...late.

It's probably a good thing that I can't remember now everything that went wrong. Let's just say "it was one of those days."

At one point, all I remember is having a phone in one hand and a list of calls to make in the other. Two of my cp-workers walked up, each taking one out of my hand and commanding I stop to eat lunch (which I then realized I had forgotten to do). Next thing I know, my boss is leading me outside without saying a word. I thought, "Great! I've really done something wrong...and I don't even know what it is!" We walked into a prayer garden behind the building and just sat there for who knows how long. Suddenly, he starts laughing. He proceeds to tell me a story about his first trip as a youth pastor...and everything went wrong...and I mean seriously wrong. His continuous laughter confused me, on top of my emotional rollar-coaster morning.

But he shared that story with me to say this: "Sometimes, you just have to laugh at yourself." How dumb am I to think that I am responsible for my circumstances or that their outcomes are my fault. NEWS FLASH! i'M NOT GOD! So why am I placing God-sized expectations on myself?

I would like to say that after some desperate words of prayer, I was fine, but I would be lying. I continued to struggle...but I was trying to at least listen to the LORD. And listening paid off, because it led to two opportunities to share the gospel of Jesus with women from the Kunama people group from Eritrea. These women are now my sisters in Christ. There is now a Bible study starting among that people group.

That day, everything seemed to go wrong...but God stopped me to say, "Today went exactly the way I wanted it to." God did the most amazing thing I've ever seen in Clarkston on the day when I thought the most unlikely, when I felt the most wretched and inadequate. All to see that when we give God what He asks for, which is everything we have, He can do more than all we ask or imagine.

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20,21

"On their return the apostles told [Jesus] all that they had done. And He took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida. When the crowds learned it, they followed Him, and He welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing. Now the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place.” But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.” For there were about five thousand men. And He said to His disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” And they did so, and had them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces." Luke 9:10-17

First Time For Everything

Part of my job this summer was teaching ESL. Let me say this...i am not a teacher. It is not my spiritual gift. i have never been good at it and i have never enjoyed it...until now.

For whatever reason, i adore teaching grown women how to say "broccoli" correctly. Haha. But in all seriousness, there's just something about that moment when they finally get it. i see the lightbulb go off and a smile stretch across their face. Ya know, the one of sweet satisfaction that says, "YES! I can do this! I'm gonna make it here!" Any amount of frustration is worth that moment. I wonder how the satisfaction of the teacher compares to that of the student?

i taught simple things like "she cut the cake" or "I cook cabbage." But, you know God...He's a Master when it comes to doing mysterious things.

When i taught fruits & vegetables, i would have my students make lists: "I like..." or "I don't like..." Then, i would ask them: "Nini, do you like carrots?" to which she would reply "yes, i do like carrots" or "no, i don't like carrots." Once The Sisterhood (7 their thousands of children) joined my class, it was more efficient to have them ask each other. There was an odd number of people one day, so i had to work with someone. Fatima tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Jordan, do you like Jesus?" After i picked my jaw up off the floor (figuratively, of course), i said, "yes, i do like Jesus." She smiled and went back to quizzing her mom about peas.

That was the only time i ever spoke of Jesus with The Sisterhood. One quiet little moment in the midst of a chattering room of English, Arabic & Chin. But all God needs is that one little moment. Jesus never beat anyone over the head with a Bible. He loved them. Again, though i spoke of Jesus once...but these women saw Him. They experienced His love. They have someone who is glad that they exist and wants to be their friend.

The LORD is opening Fatima's heart. She is curious. Please remember to pray for her and The Sisterhood. When any of them come to faith, the hardest thing for them will be to be separated from their community...may the LORD be merciful and gracious is saving all of them, that they may be their own community of believers.

"For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds."

2 Corinthians 10:3,4

"...that they should seek God..."

For those who tried to follow me on here, i apologize for not writing a lot. There came a point where i made the decision to get much needed rest rather than blogging. Now that i'm back in Troy for the fall, i actually have time to process and blog about my summer.

________________________________________________

One of the passages that i taught to all of our short-term teams this summer was Acts 17:16-27. When Paul was in Athens, he saw all of the shrines and the way people worshipped there. He began teaching about Jesus and about the resurrection. Philosophers in the city asked Paul to tell them more and they brought him to the Areopagus. He said, 

"Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, 'To the unknown god." What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet He is not actually far from each one of us" (v.22-26).

At RTN, we believe that every refugee in Clarkston is there for a reason. Specific place. Specific time. Specific people. We take no contact made as an accident. Coincidences don't exist there.

One night at a Backyard Bible Club, i invited a couple Nepali families to come hang out with us on the playground. Only one man, Nar, spoke English, so we started the typical get-to-know-you conversation. "Where are you from? How long have you been in America? Do you like it? Who's in your family?" Some of our Nepali church members were at the BBC, so i told him i'd like to introduce them. Me being American, he replied with surprise, "You have Nepali friends?" After making introductions, our church members visited Nar in his home. When the invitation to church came up, he began explaining that he and his family wanted to go to church in Nepal growing up, but their devout Hindu grandmother wouldn't let them. 

"She told us that we could go to church after we died. So when we moved to America...we sent her to Texas."

(insert laughter here)

"Nar, do you know why you are here and your grandmother is not?"

"No."

"So that you could come to church and learn about Jesus and know God."

Nar has been coming to RTN off and on, and our Nepali church members are visiting him and his family. He is hearing the Word of God. Jaymasi! ("Praise the Lord" in Nepali)

________________________________________________

Please pray that the Spirit would continue to work in Nar's heart and draw him to faith in Christ alone. Coming from a Hindu background where multiple gods are worshipped, one way to pray specifically is that Christ would reveal Himself as the One True God.

Trendy Christianity

As Bill debriefed a team this morning, these words probed me deeply:

"Is your Christianity trendy or biblical?"

Talk about a wake up call. Right in the middle of my summer internship, God stops me dead in my tracks and gives me something to chew on all day. i seriously have not been able to get my ming off of examining my heart and my motives. 

Is my desire to go overseas a calling or just me thinking it's glamorous and somehow holier to be on "the frontlines"? 

Why do i do Clarkston things in Clarkston, but Troy things in Troy?

Two of our ministry partners were talking last night and one asked the other how they knew she was supposed to live in Ethiopia for the last two years. She replied, "i was just following Jesus and that's where He led me."

In the midst of trying to discern the thoughts and intentions of my heart, i am comforted. Wherever God leads me, whether it be where i would prefer to be or where i think i would best fit, He will lead me in faithfulness as i follow Him.

"All the ways of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep His commandments and His testimonies. For Your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great. Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will He instruct in the way he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring will shall inherit the land. The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear His name, and He makes known to them His covenant." Psalm 25:10-14

"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?" Luke 9:23-25

No. 2 Rule of Missions: Perseverance

Abbas is a 62 year old Iranian man who desperately wants to learn English....fast! Everyday, he interrupts my lesson to explain to me (again) that "me no understand" English, "i vant, i need talk talk in English" and, "me, Farsi; you, English; no understand." And everyday, my heart breaks for this man who needs a friend, especially because i cannot fill that gap in his life. i can see the frustration and the sadness on his face. i'm no teacher, but i have learned how to read people's frustrations and see what they sometimes fail to understand. Abbas is a slow learner, but he doesn't think so. He wants to speak perfect English tomorrow. i just want to get it through his head that he's got to go slow or else he won't retain it.

Tonight, as i thought back over my day, i realized that i am the same way with God. i get so flustered when i feel the same promptings from the Holy Spirit about the same old sins, over and over and over again. i wonder if God is like me when i'm trying to teach Abbas...wanting so bad for me to understand what He's trying to teach me. Abbas' problem: he's not teachable. My problem: i'm not teachable. Maybe that's why i feel so much compassion for him and try so hard to help him learn--because, in a sense, i identify with him.

Abbas needs Jesus. God is using English class to bring Abbas to Himself. i need Jesus. God is using things in my life to bring me to Himself--things that are difficult, foreign, and pain-staking. He is  teach me slowly and growing my roots deep. It is not the funnest thing i've ever done, but it the most hopeful, the most eternally rewarding.

Learning to speak a new language is not a weekend project. It's a marathon and you've got to be committed to running it for the long haul. English...obedience...love...compassion... All these are languages, tools used to communicate something of importance. O, how it is my prayer that Abbas learns English, but more so that he learns to understand the language that the Holy Spirit uses...through Jesus' obedience on the cross...through Jesus' love on the cross...through Jesus' compassion on the cross. It is my prayer that i will be made pliable in the Potter's hands, that i would be given a teachable spirit, and that i would "count it all joy" to face trials, all so that Jesus is seen through me.

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,  for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." James 1:2-8

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted." Hebrews 12:1-3

Oh, middle of the night thoughts...

I wonder if God granted us the stars...smiles...laughter...puppy dog eyes...favorites...sunsets...newness...flavor...pleasantness...All to give us a taste of almost-perfect? To make us hunger for complete perfection & delight. Isn't it interesting how each of us has different things that thrill us...some of those things being more thrilling than others. Adventure...surprises...guessing...chances...wonder...amusement...why do these things cause enjoyment in our heart of hearts? Could it be that they lead our souls to taste & therefore long for more...more, not of the same, but of something better?

Why do we love going back to the same thrills over and over again...we somewhat know what is coming, but there is still excitement in the action of it...maybe to point us to the inexaustability of God's nature? Or maybe to point us to His never-ending love, forgiveness...

Maybe He gives us blessings on this side of eternity in order to point us to the riches found on the other side...namely Himself. Like...all the comfort of a best friend, or a blanket & a cup of tea & a good book on a cold, rainy day, or a good run...none as wholly fulfilling as Him, but pointing us to Him and causing an ever-deeper longing for more...for Him.

Oh thank You, Lord, for the freedom to enjoy Your blessings in this life...they point me to You! May I not get wrapped up in creation and thereby forget the great Creator!