Location: Apartment Living Room in Oradea, Romania (early enough that everyone is sleeping on June 9)
You will notice that I posted some new photos of N. and me. Though I want to take a picture of him feeding the pigeons, I do not want to be there when he feeds them! So you will have to wait for that photo to happen.
What you will notice, though, is that we have been busy. N. was trying to feed the pigeons while we worked on J.'s chair in the park yesterday, despite my vehement objections! A slideshow I posted shows the chair in more detail--basically it is a special adjustable therapy chair for a child. It was missing some pieces when J. found it, so she enlisted us to make some modifications. This work, which normally would have been simple, was greatly complicated by our lack of the right tools. While we had fun doing it and mostly succeeded, we certainly attracted the curiosity of the locals who where enjoying there Pentecost holiday in the park. One man watched and watched until he finally got up the nerve to come ask what we were doing. Unfortunately for him, my poor Romanian left him with probably a less-than-satisfying explanation! The chair, though, is functional, and J. is keeping her eye open for another one, because she is treating three-year-old twins. The only one she found so far is in the USA (though this one came from the UK), and they are not cheap!
Since yesterday was a holiday, the children did not come to the center where we have been working. We do plan to go today. However, we kept busy with the chair project all morning, and then made lunch for V. since we had to stop by her place anyway. You can see that she used my camera to capture us enjoying some more kitchen "pace" ("peace" for those of you who already forgot your Romanian lesson). We have lunch and laundry date there again today, so we are looking forward to more of the same!
In the afternoon, we had a new adventure. One of our young friends took advantage of the (very) hot sun and invited us to come play basketball at the local high school. This was like old-fashioned street-ball that you see in the movies. There was graffiti covering the cement walls around the paved courtyard, and chain nets to report every basket scored. We joined about 10 other young Romanian jocks in the afternoon sun. Imagine a philosopher, a medical student, and a mechanical engineer sauntering out to challenge semi-pro high-school Romanian ballers! They got a good laugh at the Nerd Squad, but it was great! And by the end, they were not laughing at us anymore! It proved to be a great opportunity to meet more of the local youth, and we anticipate future interactions with them.
Even better was the discipleship opportunity with our young host. Frustrated by his performance and our cocky opponents, we had excellent conversation discussing self-control and self-discipline. I reminded him that when we get hot-tempered, our opponents have already won. Our character is not determined by what is said to or about us, but rather by what comes out of us. Therefore, we must be disciplined about what we put into ourselves (food, media, words, etc.), but we must be self-controlled about what comes out. It is when people see that we respond differently to our situations that they gain respect for us. No one can be the best at everything, but certainly we can choose to engage each moment "to the max," as V. would say.
So we engaged those moments, and they proved very rewarding. In fact, the Lord gave us several opportunities to disciple people yesterday, and we had excellent conversations of a deep nature. N. and I have been enjoying not only making each other laugh, but working together to try to encourage the people around us, whether they are studying medicine, learning new cultures, ministering, growing up, or anything else. One neat opportunity involved our waitress on Sunday.
Sunday (here celebrated as Pentecost) N. survived two lengthy church services with me. The first, all in Romanian, is hard to follow because of the language barrier. We met some American friends and had a nice time of fellowship for lunch. (We may have the opportunity to join one of these gals in her work with Gypsy children in an after-school type program, at some point. We were invited, and we are very interested. The Gypsy people are considered inferior here, and I have seen them treated very poorly; they often act very disrespectfully, too, though I think a lot of that has to do with the weight of social disdain that they carry. I threw the Frisbee to a couple of young kids in the park the other day, and our non-Gypsy friends became very angry with me and commanded me to never do that again! I knew they are known for pickpocketting and begging and the like, but I nevertheless explained that the same God who made us made them. In other parts of the world where racism is practically a curse word and often judged to be declining, we forget that the Gypsies and folks like them are being "gypped" by deeply engrained traditions that hold people captive with irrational hate.)
After lunch we unexpectedly attended our roommates' church, and the format was quiet new for my cousin. All of that made us hungry, so we ducked into a pizza place we had passed that had some nifty architecture. The pizza was okay, but we hope to go back to discuss more with our waitress who was very interested in why we were in Romania. When we told her we were on our way home from church, she was asking us about which denomination--for such distinctions are extremely important here. She is Orthodox, and she has been hurt by other so-called Christians who have told her that she is not Christian because she attends the wrong church.
Have you ever been offended by someone who considers themselves more of a Christian than you? I have. It feels nasty.
There are many people who have been reading this blog, and I do not know in what you put your faith. But I thank you for your patience with me as I try to explain my adventures and my life in a way that you and I can both learn from them. God has been teaching me a lot, and blessing me a lot, but it hurts me to see people offended in the name of God.
Sometimes Truth offends. Jesus certainly offended the religious leaders of His day. Yet Truth should only offend during the process of edification, the process of growth and learning. Only God knows someones heart. And while it is true that we can recognize the character of a person by what comes out--his fruit, if you will--our job is to trust the God we serve to bring them from any error into the mercy of His love. Meanwhile, we must dwell there, too, allowing Him to bring us out of our weaknesses and faults into His wisdom and goodness.
Of course I think my way is right--otherwise I would be doing things differently. But I also know that you will respect my way much more if you see me live a bold, quiet life of integrity before you, supporting and loving you as you work out your faith with fear and trembling. I can find something to disagree about with most people, but thanks to the grace of God, I can love them, too.
If you have been told you are not who you claim to be--a Christian, for instance--don't throw a tantrum. Instead, go before the Lord our God our Maker, and humbly ask Him to reveal to you what it means to be His child. Ask Him to show you how much He loves you, and how He would like you to live as a recipient of that love. When you have invited the Lord to be the Master of every part of your life, you can live confidently knowing that your value and identity comes from Him, not from what others say about you! Perhaps our Orthodox waitress knows the Lord intimately, perhaps she has been blinded by the traditions of her church. My prayer is that no matter where she is now, she will allow the Lord to draw her closer to Himself, correcting anything that needs to be corrected, and strengthening the gifts He has given her. My prayer is the same for me, and for you.
Thank you for your prayers! The elder at my church, R., is not recovered yet, but he is due home from the hospital now. Also, O., who was in the hospital here, is due to come to Bible study with us, but then is leaving for Spain this week--for five years! We are hoping we had a positive impact on his life, and we ask you to pray for him as he goes to marry his girlfriend who is due to give birth in December. Our friends are finishing up their medical exams and would appreciate your prayers. Finally, please do not forget the work God is doing in Oradea, especially among the Church, in people like A., and through people like J. As an update, thank you for your prayers regarding health. Neither N. nor I have been ill at all. I am especially thankful for your prayers regarding my headaches. I have not taken any headache medicine since my arrival in Romania. I have had a few minor headaches, but they went away quickly--even yesterday, when normally I get a migraine after strenuous activitity. I have not had any more problems with a runny nose or sores in my mouth (you'll remember that those started when I arrived here.) We have been safe and healthy, despite often interesting food situations. Your prayers are very important to us; thank you for sharing our burdens!
This blog is your opportunity to travel with me wherever I am in the world, during both the mundane and exciting moments of life that I humbly recognize as holy. As I bare my life to you, may your reading take you beyond my words to the Word, beyond my life to the Life, beyond the chaos to the Truth, and beyond teachings to the Teacher--the Rabboni. I promise it will be an adventure, and by the end, may you, too, truly know the Way!
A Rose From Home
My Story (As prepared for my church congregation this spring--2009)
I have a story to tell you. I am the main character, but the story is not about me. I have traveled several parts of the world, but my adventure has been closer to home. I am twenty-six years old. My story begins like many of yours…
I grew up going to church. I had been born into a family who labeled themselves “Christian,” in a country that labels itself “Christian.” Every Sunday found me attending a worship service and Sunday school in a mainline denomination church. I served as an acolyte, attended Vacation Bible School, helped my dad count and record the offering money, sang in the youth choir, was a leader in the youth group, and occasionally served as liturgist. Baptized as an infant, I was confirmed at the age of twelve, thus becoming an “official” member of the church. Then, hurt by the church, my family left to find another.
Have you ever been hurt by the Church?
After months of searching, we settled into a very large independent church. Things were different there, and I was quickly welcomed and at home among new friends that truly had a passion for Jesus. The Word of God was taught boldly from the pulpit, and I was introduced to a missions-aware lifestyle. So it was with regret that I said goodbye only a couple of years later to move with my family to another church. I purposely remained aloof, not wanting to make new friendships before I left for college a year later. Besides, I was loosing my faith—or so I thought—and I didn’t want anyone to know. I was asking scary questions like “Is there really a God?” and, if so, “Is He the Christian God?” and “Would I be Christian if I had been born in another part of the world?”
Have you ever asked yourself unsettling questions about what you believe?
So I headed into college under a cloud of confusion that only worsened for the next two years. Though I didn’t know what I believed anymore, I continued to go to church every Sunday, and to help lead worship in chapel. Most importantly, even during this questioning, I continued my morning habit of daily study of the Bible. I had begun at age twelve, reading at first a chapter per day, then ten minutes each morning, then an half-hour, and so on. So, only by the grace of the very God I doubted, I remained anchored in His Word and in His community, though I felt like a fake most of the time. Since then I have learned that “fake” is the worst insult the world can give us; that is why the label of “hypocrite” is so offensive.
Have you ever felt like a fake?
Six weeks with missionaries in South Africa followed by a year in France began to teach me what life with God is all about. I began rebuilding my faith, this time it belonged to me, in contrast to me borrowing the faith of my parents, church, or anyone else. In my parent’s basement in 2003, on either Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve, I invited Jesus to live in me; perhaps I had done so before, but I didn’t recall—but since 2003, I have never forgotten that moment. Unfortunately, nothing changed. I continued to do my best to act like a Christian, as I had done for so long.
Have you ever found yourself “doing your best” to be a good person, or to act like a Christian?
Though I did not realize it at the time, I was quenching the Spirit, even though I had welcomed Him into my life. During the next few years, the LORD continued to nurture me, and slowly things began to change. Several tough months in Idaho birthed my prayer-life. I spent three years being humbled in a job that was my informal seminary training. In 2007, a short stint in Mexico helped me to see things as they were, and not long afterward, I was baptized by immersion. No baptism of any kind can save a lost soul—only Jesus can do that. However, this baptism was an important covenant between me and God, symbolizing not only my death and resurrection with Jesus and my public profession of faith, but it also my life change, the beginning of my bearing fruit. “For each tree is known by its own fruit…”according to Luke 6:44. During the past year and a half, the LORD has provided me with an informal pastoral internship in my church, teaching me every aspect of discipleship. Simultaneously, I have been studying unceasing prayer and worship. I am now very different than I was five years ago.
In the Book of Acts (which tells the story of the earliest years of the Church) every time a person decided to follow Christ, two things took place—though not always in the same order. Each person experienced a life change, which I call the “baptism of repentance,” as well as the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which I call the “baptism of the Spirit.” Looking back, I realize that the Holy Spirit was living in me in 2003, but it wasn’t until I surrendered everything to God, as represented by my immersion, that I allowed the Spirit to have His way in me and transform my life. “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now life in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (Galatians 2:20)”
Have you invited Jesus to live in you? Have you allowed the Spirit to transform your life?
I tell you this story for two reasons. First, I tell this story in order to boast in the LORD! May God our Father get all praise and glory forever! Second, I tell this story because it is relevant to you. Likely you have heard that I am leaving the country: I have let my light shine before you; please let your light shine within the Church, too! This congregation is in revival, and as each of you allows the Spirit to revive you, the entire Church will be revived and utterly transformed, to the glory of the Most High God. And for His glory is the reason He created us; the reason He sent His only Son to reveal Himself to us; the reason He became Sin for us and died for us on the cross—while we were still sinners; and the reason that He conquered death and offered us eternal life with Him.
It will cost you a lot—in fact, it will cost you everything, your very life. But if you have never surrendered your life to Christ Jesus, if you have never invited Him to send His Spirit into you and to transform your life, then do it right now. Just let go of everything to which you are desperately clinging; stop trying to do it yourself! This is the very reason you are still breathing in this physical life—God has been delaying His judgment of this sinful world because He is waiting for you—2 Peter 3:9 says He wants none to perish!
If you have already invited the Spirit into your life, then live like it! Bear fruit! Anyone and everyone who meets you or knows you or sees you or hears you should know immediately and clearly that Jesus the Christ lives in you and loves them! That is how stark the contrast should be between your life and the world around you!
Have you immersed yourself in God’s Word and in prayer in the last twenty-four hours?
If you call yourself a follower of Christ, then there is no excuse for not communing with Him daily! Anchor yourself in the Word! God has revealed Himself to us through His Son, Jesus Christ, and the Bible is a complete and accurate record of that revelation. And prayer is humbly letting Him love us. Let Him love you! God doesn’t need us, but He wants us! God doesn’t need us to live for Him—He wants to live in and through us! Let us love and fellowship with one another, even when you disagree! Pray for each other—the names in the church directory are a great place to start! Church, we are not only the Body of Christ, but we are the Bride of Christ. We have allowed ourselves to get bedraggled and stained—now let us stand to the glory of God! Let’s let Him purify us, restore us, and love us!
My dear Brothers and Sisters, if you have ever once been blessed by God our Father at work in me, then I urge you, please, take seriously His desire to love and work in you, beyond anything you can ask or imagine! I have told you the beginning of my story—may it end in glory to the Father, in the Name of Jesus, by way of His Spirit.
Now, what is your story?