Better late than never

Hello my friends,

I am sorry that I did not post at the beginning of this month, and that I am late on the mid-month post as well. It is amazing how the things in our lives can become easily forgettable, or even de-prioritized. I think I just made up a new word. Anyways, I sincerely apologize, for I know that many of you read these and I realize that it is my duty and my joy to report to those that have sent me out.

For all of us have to carry on the work that Christ has for us. In some cases, that means staying where we are at, faithfully serving within the body we call home. To others, that means walking in obedience to the places which God has allowed us. In all cases, there is no more noble task than another. No missionary can say that they have contributed more than the usher at home, if each is giving his or her all in the name of Christ and in His power. No part of the body is more important than the others, as Paul said. Just because a toe is the furthest point away from the heart does not mean that it is less important, and just because the hand does the work does not make the arm that stretched it out less important.

This is why I feel it necessary to report back to you. For even though my task at hand seems common, worldly, and self-serving, it is still only made possible through God. By His guidance I am working toward an education to be a teacher so that I may share Christ's love with students. By His power I have strength in my mind and in my body to complete the work that is in front of me. By His provision I have been given the opportunity, the community of support, and the means to make this endeavor possible. By His love and grace, I have been saved and have been given the opportunity to do all of this. Further, we all have been charged by God with the same commands: Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself, and go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey all that Jesus commanded. As I pursue this educational endeavor, I am still obligated to abide by these commands. Finally, the Church body has sent me out and have invested in me, supporting me prayerfully and financially. Therefore, to the church family that has sent me out on this journey I owe my account.

As I write this, I lie on my bed having just finished my classes for the day and also having done my daily Bible study. I remembered that I had not written in a long time, so I felt it best that I do so, so that I may use my time wisely. The last month has been a steady stream of school work, working out, miscellaneous activity, and challenges. Also, I have contemplated many things that have bothered me, which I will save to write about until the very end. Don't worry, I will note when I change toward these subjects, as they will be lengthy in detail. This way, any who do not wish to read into those things can simply click off and move on.

To begin, school is going well. I have maintained a good pace on my work, and I have continued to stay a few days ahead of my schedule, allowing me to have extended periods of time where I do not have to worry about doing homework. It has been nice to have some relaxing time. These times have allowed me to connect better with my roommates and given me time to be able to work out and practice piano. Oh yes, I don't think I have mentioned this, this semester I discovered (via friends) that the Music Dept piano rooms are open daily (unless somebody has them reserved). Knowing this, I try at least a few times per week to tickle the ivory and ebony. Some friends have discovered that I played piano, so I am going to be using that skill in at least one event this semester, perhaps more. On the subject of working out, I usually do it three times per week (lifting) and recently began running once per week with some members from my missions team. Working out, to me, is now more about taking care of my body than it is about being stronger or looking good. I have missed Saturday workouts two weeks in a row (accidentally) and I did not run today or last week. Luckily, I am motivated to be a steward of the body I reside in, so getting back on the horse won't be too difficult.

Speaking of missions, my team has met four times since the last time I updated. It has been a wonderful experience for me. My team is really awesome, I cannot say enough how pleased I am to know each of them and how awesome God is for creating each of them with their skills and talents. We have seen our share of God working in some really cool ways financially. One girl went from 6% funding to over 50% funding in a matter of days! During one of our meetings, our stateside contact came and met with us, teaching us about the ministry where we are going and giving us helpful tips and inside information. In another meeting, I gave my testimony (only the second or third time doing so in full), and we have been hearing different testimonies every week. It is awesome to see the different ways in which God has called each of us into His presence. Some roads have been bumpy, some have been more smooth, but the important thing is that each of us now shares in the grace that God has freely given to all.

As part of our missions training, we are participating in what is called "The Challenge." In this challenge, we are spending 21 days fasting from different things, such as shoes, running water, and cell phones. Honestly, while I understood the idea of the challenge, I was not much in favor or excited about doing it. Much of the direction and instruction is vague, and different people have communicated different things about it. Some said it can be what you make it, others say to do what our booklet says. Still more say to go to the extreme, while others say it is simply an idea that you can participate if you want but you do not have to. I had my own disagreements with it, including the manner in which we fasted and in the mentality behind it. However, after speaking to my dad of my concerns, he encouraged me to have an open mind and an open heart, to participate in what the challenge said to do, and to journal through the process. We are nearing the end of this challenge, with our 30 hour fast from all food this weekend, starting tomorrow. After this, in my next post, I will share some of my thoughts and experiences. For now, I continue to see where God leads my heart in this.

My car has been running funny, and a little over a week ago I began trying to diagnose and repair the problem. It is still in progress, and has been quite frustrating at times, but I know it will get worked out eventually. Part of the issue is money; I just can't make some of the repairs until I get some funds in. Luckily, I have a tax return that will be making its way to me in the coming weeks, so I will probably finish it then. In addition to this headache, doing my aforementioned taxes was a painstaking process, mostly because my w-2s were not going to be sent to where I am now, but were instead sent to places I used to live. I had to wait a bit for some to get mailed to me (thank you Mathew's family) and another I had to wait for because of mis-communications and incompetence. Yes, I really said that. Anyways, the tax return is going to be very helpful in paying for school, so having to delay it for so long was a little irritating. Most of my return will go toward my school payments, and after those are applied, I will almost have my semester paid off. Please pray that I get my car running soon and that God will continue to provide as He has for the financial matters.

Last weekend, I was able to see Calvary's Dinner Theater. I was so happy to see them do such a great job. It was bittersweet: bitter because I was not there through the process and able to be part of their lives, but sweet because of the joy it brought to my heart to see how so many have grown. It was an honor to contribute the very small amount that I did. I want to shout out to all of the students and staff: You did an amazing job and I am so proud of all of you! Now that you have done these things, continue to serve each other and love each other and work hard so that God's love may be on display in you at all times!

I have drawn near to the end of one of my recent goals: to read the Bible cover to cover. I just finished through Jude today, and in the coming days I will read Revelation, completing the goal I set before myself in September. It has been a great experience, and being able to read the whole scope of biblical events has been awesome. Once I am done, I will begin to go through scripture in ways different than I ever have. I want to use Bible commentaries, dictionaries, multiple translations, and I will go thought by thought, journaling through each section. By this I am hoping that I may grow to an even deeper understanding of who God is and what He is saying. Please pray that as I do this that I will put into practice everything I learn, that I will not be just someone to listens to the Word, but that I will do what it says.

I have been thinking about what kinds of things I can do around Simpson to use my gifts and to help lead and teach others. Some might say that in order to be a leader you have to have a position, or that you have to move upwards, or that you have to be a certain kind of person or have a certain calling. But I believe that God calls all of us to lead in different ways. All of us are to use what God has given us to lead others to Him and to a closer relationship with Jesus. One of my ideas I am coming to call "Secret Church." Yes, I am aware that things like this have been done before, but my goal is to have it be an unscheduled, unsanctioned, raw, real time of prayer, worship, and devotion. I am still thinking through details. Pray that whatever God leads me to will be fruitful and will be all for His glory, and that the body may be edified and encouraged and strengthened.

So now ends the main things I wanted to say. What follows will be some thoughts I have gathered over the last few weeks/months that I am now putting into words. If some of you should sign off now, I want to say thank you for reading and for praying with me and supporting me. For those who are sticking around, buckle up. You have been warned.

_________________________

Is anybody tired of cliche verses? Is anybody tired of people taking scripture out of context so that they can feel better about themselves or about what they have been doing? Is anyone tired of people using verses to justify their inaction or reaction?

I am.

Take Jeremiah 29:11 for example.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." (NIV)

I understand. I get it. God has plans for us. God is our hope. It is true that these words teach us something. People parade this verse around all the time, including very close friends of mine. They are good, comforting words. But guess what? We're in America! Have we been exiled? Have we been marginalized, stripped naked, and starved? Let us remember that Jeremiah was a prophet speaking to the people of Judah, who were going to fall to the Babylonians, have their city and temple burned to the ground, and be scattered and led away to other places. Why? Because they disobeyed God! God gave them plenty of chances to repent and they didn't. So here was God, allowing them into probably the worst possible thing outside of death that could happen to them. I cannot imagine being an Israelite in this time. But God had it in His plan of redemption to secure a remnant of people to bring back to the land, because in His time he would bring about the redemption of God's people (we now know this to mean Jesus). His words through Jeremiah are that even though He is allowing them to go through this terrible time, He would not forget them and that it was for their good, so that He may reshape their hearts and winnow out the wickedness of Israel. So, now tell me, do you think anyone who parades that verse today intends on going into exile, stripped down and hungry? None of us are even close to anything of that sort. Instead, we use the verse to tell ourselves that obviously God has great plans for us to prosper and give us a future, and so we get this expectation that we will achieve prosperity, though I would argue most of us think of prosperity in worldly terms. We think it means we will get that job and get that income and that house, car, and comfort. But this is not what God was saying to Israel. He was using the exile for their good. I would suppose that the irritation I have here applies for those who use this verse as their hope for achieving worldly success. Perhaps if people would realize what was happening here and got some perspective, then this verse could be even greater for them, not as a way of assuring themselves of prosperity, but as a way of knowing that through the darkness of trials and tribulations that God still uses those things for their good. I think a better verse to use in this case is Romans 8:28. The context is more suitable and the meaning is far more accurate to the point.

Guess what, here comes another verse! Philippians 4:13:

"I can do all this through him who gives me strength." (NIV)

Some translations say "all things" instead of "all this." Even so, this again is out of context. We know that our strength comes ultimately from God, and that God does not fail. But using this verse as an anthem to believe that you can do everything you want to do is inaccurate. So, you're saying that if I am on a wrestling team and there is a guy who is a better wrestler and more in shape than I am, that as long as I believe Christ gives me strength (and maybe if I say this verse before I go up), that I will win? Or that if I believe Christ gives me strength then it means I can go into a test and get a good grade even if I didn't study or do my homework or work very hard? Sure, these are extreme examples, but the point remains the same. Even if you would rather use the words "All things," all things don't always fall into God's plan or will. Remember what Paul is talking about in all of Philippians (about being in chains, having humility, considering everything garbage in comparison to Christ, to summarize the first three chapters) and then especially in chapter 4. He talks about rejoicing in God and about our thoughts being focused on Christ. Then comes talking about learning to be content in all circumstances. Whether well fed or hungry, whether having plenty or being in want, Paul has learned to be content because of the strength of Christ. Paul wasn't saying that he could do any act in the world because of the strength of Christ, though that surely is possible with God, but instead was saying that even if he had nothing he would be okay and that it was abiding in Christ that made it possible. If people want to talk about God's strength overcoming their weakness, a better verse to use would be 2 Corinthians 12:9. In that verse, Paul talks about his weakness and God's grace.

In both cases, I just have a hard time when people use these verses out of context in communicating them to others, or even themselves. I take it seriously because I want people to be careful to not distort the word of God just to make it more friendly and so set people on a path to destruction or frustration. Do not put stumbling blocks in front of people. What I have endeavored here was to try to help some understand the context of the verses. By this understanding, I think the verses become that much more powerful. The point is part of a greater goal of reminding people that there is more to God's word than these "memory verses." God's word is to be taken as a whole, or not at all. But the best part is knowing the whole makes it so much better. I hope that I have communicated clearly what is in my heart, and I am not ashamed or afraid to defend that which I believe. There is much more that I could have said to clarify and elaborate, but it would take pages and pages which nobody wants to read here.

thanks again for reading. Please pray that I will keep my heart open to God and that He may speak to all of us of His truth and His love. Keep me in your prayers, that I may honor God in word and deed and that I may have the grace to pursue Christ-likeness in this season of my life. Thank you all.

With love,

-J