The Calm Before the Storm

After another year of college, i'm finally enjoying a few days of rest. But in 6 days, i'll be immersed in a city filled with foreign cultures, languages and beliefs for 3 months. Clarkston, GA is near to my heart for many reasons: the people, the culture, the food, but mostly the need, both physical and spiritual. Refugees from every walk of life live here. Clarkston is home to 120+ nationalities, 50+ languages and a wide array of beliefs, largely including Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism.  Many have never heard a clear presentation of the good news of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Most are are poor, having many children and little means to provide for them. The teen generation is in confusion, trying to be American to fit in at school and Indian, for example, to fit in at home. The children are bursting with energy. Some families have been in the States for 15 years, others 15 days.


While in Clarkston, i usually feel like i've left the country. Despite all the differences, the needs of these precious people are the same as mine and yours. We all want to feel like we belong. That we have a reason to exist. That there's something more than this unsatisfying world we find ourselves in. That there's an answer to our questions. That there exists something big enough to fill the emptiness we feel inside. They hunger just like we do...and their only hope is the same as ours. Only Jesus can bring the joy they yearn for, the answers they seek, the fullness they crave. And God has given us the privilege of telling them that there is hope. 


"For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:14-21


i love Clarkston. My trips there are some of my favorite weeks out of the whole year. but being there has taught me something about every day life. Why is it that i am willing to give my summer to move to a tiny city filled with people that are largely different in belief and just about every other aspect of life...willing to give up fun time and sleep in order to potentially be rejected and mocked for my faith...why am i willing to go and do these things, but not stay and do the same things the rest of the year? Is missions and event...or a lifestyle?


"And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20


"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:8


i've heard it said that "missions exists because worship doesn't." If everyone worshipped Jesus, there would be no missions...but they don't. Therefore, we must go. Jesus Himself commanded His Church to bear witness to Him and make disciples of every nation on the planet. It's not a calling for some, but a command for all. Christian, whether you ever leave the town you were born in or you move to the other side of the world, are you living the life Jesus calls you to? Are you bearing Him witness? Are you making disciples?


As far as Clarkston in concerned, here are some prayer needs:


1. Our pastors: Our pastoral team seeks diligently to submit themselves to the will of God and His direction.  Please pray for their families, health, and spirits as they seek to follow Christ and be good shepherds of the people God gives them.


2. A place to meet: RTN is seeking a place to meet for corporate worship.  We long to see a day where the nations worship together on this side of heaven.


3. Small groups: Please pray for our small groups that are meeting every week.  RTN longs to see new small groups; so pray for God to raise up leaders.


4. Community: Please pray for the communities and leaders of Stone Moutain and Clarkston.  Our community is filled with different faiths, people, and needs.  Pray for God to heal, restore, and set them free for His glory.


i will be posting updates, stories, and thoughts throughout the summer. Though there will be many more to come, here's some photos to whet your appetite. Pray for these dear people. The nations are here. They are real and they have real needs, real hearts. And our hope is very real. Jesus is risen!

Troy BCM

me and Yuwainy, from Sri Lanka

Troy BCM with a Nepali family on their 28th day in America

Retu, one of my favorite kids. He'll barely speak a word to you, but he loves to color!

Go therefore...

7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.

11 The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

Isaiah 58:7-11 (NIV)

So, investigating the Hebrew a little closer, i found the line "provide the poor wanderer with shelter" in verse seven has much more significance than the NIV translation shows.

PROVIDE: bô': to come, to go, to bring, to take, to be brought

POOR: 'ānî: needy, poor, afflicted, oppressed, often referring to a class of persons of low status and lacking resources

WANDERER: mārûd: homeless, wandering (with an emphasis on poverty)

SHELTER: bayit: house, building, room; by extension, family, clan tribe, household

FLESH AND BLOOD: bāśār: flesh, soft body tissue; by extension, humankind, living things

So, it seems to me (which means there's a huge chance i'm wrong because i'm human) that this line could read/really means: "Bring the despised and impoverished into your family." Wow! what a challenge? How many of us are willing to take that challenge? Obviously, this is not always possible. But think of Tuohy family taking in Michael Oher. Think if the difference the love of God made in Michael's life through the Tuohy family. What if they hadn't? Where would he be?

When i first read "your own flesh and blood" i had no idea what it meant. but after looking up the Hebrew and reading the note from my study Bible, it was much ore clear to me that Isaiah was referring to other people, not just your friends or family. To many of us, this can be a very real struggle. It is incredibly difficult to love those we don't like, or hate to even be in the same room with because of how they act, talk, dress, or carry themselves. But, the love of God is inside His people, so therefore we are compelled to love as He did: completely and selflessly. "For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf." 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (NASB)

Isaiah continues in verse ten, saying, "spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed."

SPEND: pûq: to bring out, furnish, promote

SATISFY: śāba': the filling or even overfilling of appetites or desires

Again, to me it sounds like Isaiah meant, "promote the cause of those who can't promote themselves and provide for them beyond their needs."

Verse eleven reads, "The LORD will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame."

SATISFY: see above

SUN-SCORCHED LAND: śahśāhôt: bare, (sun)scorched land (i love the way this word sounds)

STRENGTHEN: hālaș: to strengthen, to be armed

Ahhhh! How awesome! To know the God of the universe will arm us for the day of battle! :)

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm." Ephesians 6:10-13 (ESV)

So go forth, making disciples of all nations. Go in the strength of the LORD YHWH. Have no fear.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:17-20

a Gospel-centered life

Most of you reading this are in Florida (i miss you all so much) and have been asking me how i like Birmingham, to which i replied, "i love it. i'm going to blog soon." It took me a while, but i'm finally coming through on that promise. Since i've been in Birmingham, i've met a ton of fantastic people. i am continually amazed at how quickly God's children can form real relationships, and not based on shallow, worldly things, but based on the unity of the Gospel and of the Holy Spirit.

By the providence of God, i got plugged into an awesome Bible study (thank you Tim Winters). i've been incredibly challenged by what God has been teaching us. For the past month, we've been discussing what a Gospel-centered life looks like and how the Gospel is not only used in our salvation but affects all areas of our lives. i never realized that before. And truly, if we don't understand the Gospel ourselves, how are we to preach it? If we're not daily being affected by the reality of what Christ accomplished on the cross, how will our lives testify to the Gospel to those around us?

God especially showed this principle to me through my new and dear friend, Emily Moore. The first time we met at Starbucks for discipleship, her first two questions were, "What's your testimony?" and "Will you tell the Gospel to me?" Talk about challenging. By God's grace, the Gospel just poured from my mouth. i've never shared the Gospel with anyone before so this came as somewhat of a surprise to me, although it shouldn't have (Matt. 1019,20). And again, at small group last week, she asked me to share again. What a beautiful example of accountability. Afriend who realizes the importance of meditating on and being daily changed by the Gospel and challenging me to preach it to myself daily. i've never had anyone do that to me before, so it was awesome!

So, the weight of my sin has been great lately, realizing that i am completely inadequate in and of myself. But to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God's grace is sufficient for me (2 Cor. 12:9,10) has been my strength. Two quotes have aided the process of this idea becoming reality.

"Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong, but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world." Martin Luther

"The reason many people do not enter the kingdom of heaven is not, by popular conception, because the standards are too high, but because the standards are so low for entry that our pride will not allow us to accept such a great free gift." John Piper

Oh! to be so humbled by the Gospel that we could simply accept it. This is only possible by His grace in our lives. Of course, this is easier said than done. But God has granted to us to share in Christ's sufferings (Phil. 1:29, 3:8; 2 Cor. 4:8-11). To rejoice in our sufferings, not only after the fact, but in the midst of them-how beautiful!

May we suffer well. Together.

There's so much more i could write, but i know how turned off i am by insanely long posts, so i'll save it for another time.

Psalm 24

PSALM 24

¹ The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it,

the world, and all who live in it;

² for He founded it upon the seas

and established it upon the waters.

³ Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?

Who may stand in His holy place?

⁴ he who has clean hands and a pure heart,

who does not lift up his soul to an idol

or swear by what is false.

Wow! okay, so the only one who can ascend God's mountain or stand before Him in His holy place is a pure man, a righteous man...aka not us. BUT, Jesus, the only perfect, sinless Man, can! He took our place and because of Him, we become the man described in verse five. What a gift!

⁵ he will receive blessing from the LORD

and vindication from God his Savior.

⁶ Such is the generation of those who seek him,

who seek Your face, O God of Jacob.

Selah

This reminds me of Philippians 3:8,9 which says: "⁸What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith." When God looks at us, He sees Christ's righteousness, not ours. Ours is as filthy rags to Him (Isaiah 64:6). Thank God for Christ's death and resurrection!

⁷ Lift up your heads, O you gates;

be lifted up, you ancient doors,

that the King of glory may come in.

⁸ Who is this King of glory?

The LORD strong and mighty,

the LORD mighty in battle.

⁹ Lift up your heads, O you gates;

lift them up, you ancient doors,

that the King of glory may come in.

¹⁰ Who is he, this King of glory?

The LORD Almighty—

He is the King of glory.

Selah

This is where i really love it. The following psalm is titled "Teach me Your Ways." How fitting! Psalm 24 proclaims God is Lord and then it shifts right into "i believe You are Lord, so i want to learn from You." This should be our attitude always--desiring to learn from the One who knows it all. He is Lord and He is the King of Glory!

whew! it's finally done. i'm officially moved to birmingham. today was a long day. i barely remember what i did this morning. all i remember is lots of driving. but anyhow, now that i've got a computer to blog with, i shall do just that.

last thursday, i went to the Summer Block Party concert at Immanuel Baptist. Aaron Shust, 33 Miles, Pocket Full of Rocks, Among the Thirsty and Newfire were there, as well as one of my favorite speakers David Nasser. Before the show, i got to meet Aaron Shust and Jason & Chris from 33 Miles (possibly the highlight of my summer so far). i've been listening to Aaron Shust's CDs ever since. i've read the lyrics in the little booklets and it's been really neat. instead of only listing the lyrics, Aaron explains where the song came from and what his thoughts are about the song and its meaning. it's creepy how often his thoughts on a certain Scripture are the same things i've thought about that verse before.

in meeting him, my friend Cat asked him, "how do i get my name out there?" (in the music industry, that is). his response was so cool and very Christ-like, reminding me of when the Pharisees would ask Jesus a question, trying to trip Him up and Jesus would answer in a way they weren't expecting. Aaron talked about how God gives us spheres of interest (music, cooking, volleyball, etc.) and spheres of influence (school, work, church, family). we are to use our interests to influence those around us. if we try to expand our sphere of influence and that's not God's will for us, we're going to hit a road block and get frustrated with ourselves because we're not good enough or "no one likes my singing," or whatever. God has you where you are for a reason. plain and simple. we have no right to say, "God, i can't help these people," or "my influence means nothing to them. they won't listen to me." God has placed us where we are to do just that-influence those around us for His glory. how dare we question His plan?

in the moving process, i've definitely questioned God's plan. i know He has great things for me and for His glory here in B'ham and in Troy, but why would He take me away from a school that i love and want so badly to see grow in Christ? then i realized, #1: it's not ME Pace High School needs; it's God. and He's not going anywhere. He's proven that! #2: God has used me there already and He's done with me there. now He's going to use me in B'ham and Troy just like in Pace, if not in bigger ways. and maybe one day, He'll take me international. but for now, my sphere of influence is where i'm placed.

the key with all this to be content. we may want to go elsewhere or go bigger. we may think we would do more good if we had a different crowd watching us or if we could just get published/recognized. but the truth is, God WILL use you to the fullest extent right where you are. He has proven this concept to me. this time last year, i was preparing myself to share the Gospel with anyone on the yearbook staff who would give me an ear. but in 12 months, i never once sat down and talked about Jesus with any or them. instead, God used my life-my words, actions, attitude-to speak volumes to the girls around me. and their response was incredible! i went into my editor job with some enemies and came out with more friends than i could have hoped for. Jehovah Jireh=God provides!

so don't worry about where you are. don't worry about tomorrow, for it will worry for itself (matthew 6:33, 34). just be faithful over what God has given you (matthew 25:14-30). He will indeed reward you!

almost a blog

so when my mom woke me up to say goodbye and leave for work this morning, she said "It looks like we're going to have a beautiful sunrise today." So twenty minutes later, I was dressed and walking outside. It was cloudless, so i didn't expect much. But the colors...wow! I've never seen the sun so red before. It looked like it was literally on fire. So of course I took pictures. Where are they you ask? I've learned that in the moving process, things gets misplaced easily and often. I'm not exactly sure where the USB cord is that fits my camera and the photo printer's card reader hasn't been working for a while. So, this was almost a complete blog post this morning.

But really, who needs pictures? God's majesty and glory can be seen in ALL of creation. Just take a look around. Spring is causing things to bloom and sprout up. It's beautiful! And it's beautiful because God made it that way. He wired plants to bloom in the spring and He wired us to enjoy watching them do so. And we are to give Him praise because of it.

"The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims His handiwork."
Psalm 19:1

"Praise YHWH! Praise YHWH from the heavens;
praise Him in the heights!
Praise Him, all his angels;
praise Him, all his hosts!
Praise Him, sun and moon,
praise Him, all you shining stars!
Praise Him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!

Let them praise the name of YHWH!
For He commanded and they were created.
And He established them forever and ever;
He gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.

Praise YHWH from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all deeps,
fire and hail, snow and mist,
stormy wind fulfilling His word!

Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
Beasts and all livestock,
creeping things and flying birds!

Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and maidens together,
old men and children!

Let them praise the name of YHWH,
for His name alone is exalted;
His majesty is above earth and heaven.
He has raised up a horn for His people,
praise for all His saints,
for the people of Israel who are near to Him.
Praise YHWH!"
Psalm 148

So today, praise Him for His handiwork!

in case you didn't already know, OUR GOD IS HUGE!

i was driving home from Bible study tonight and noticed how bright the stars were. what especially got to me was that even with the annoyingly bright street light in my front yard, the stars could still be seen. normally, i have to hold my hand up to block out the street light so i can see the stars better. but tonight...the stars were just THAT bright!

and God put the notion into my head that, no matter how blatant our sin is or how tough our life is at any point in time, His love is always greater than our problems. He is always bigger than our sin. He is always able to hold us up and carry us through the most difficult of days. He is stronger than any...ANY...temptation Satan puts in front of us.

Hallelujah!

God is bigger than
the air i breathe
the world we'll leave
God will save the day
and all will say
my Glorious

now you know.