Obama wins: how God encouraged my bitter heart

11:30 PM on November 6th - Checked the polls one last time before going to bed.  Obama will have officially won when I wake up in the morning.  How could this happen?

7:00 AM on November 7th - Sitting down to read God's Word.  "Lord, I need a word from you this morning.  I'm discouraged.  I'm bitter.  I'm angry.  I have very little joy.  Why did you ordain this?  What is your purpose in causing this to happen?  Please Father, I need to hear your voice.  Show me how I ought to respond and live today."

I've been going through Colossians.  I open to where I left off yesterday and begin in chapter 3.

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

Colossians 3:1-4

"Thank you Lord.  I needed that.  Thank you for planning this moment with you this morning.  I never get tired of moments like these.  Please help me to focus my mind on things that are above today.  Thank you that you are victorious and that you're not worried about or surprised by the things that happen on earth.  Thank you that your people will appear with Christ in glory when he appears.  What a day that will be!  I can't help but wonder how many other intimate moments you've had with your children across this nation today already.  Your Word is living and active.  Your Spirit is at work in our lives.  You have not forgotten or abandoned your children.  You give joy in the midst of bitter disappointment and peace in the midst of total confusion.  I have so much to praise you for and nothing worth complaining about.  Thank you Father.  You are so good!"

Your heart might need encouragement today.  Mine did.  Even after this morning, I found myself sitting at my desk, with little joy in my heart.  A word from Martyn Lloyd-Jones came to mind, and I immediately looked it up.  I watched it.  Twice.  It convicted and helped my heart.  I'd encourage you to watch this very short video below.  Another mini-sermon.  I pray that we will not go on joylessly today. 

 

 

       

 

Unexpected Blessings and the Rabbit Trail of Thoughts that Followed

On Sunday, October 28th at about 12:15, we found our seats.  Not at church.  Not at a meeting.  No.

We were at Soldier Field watching the Chicago Bears take on the Carolina Panthers.  And we were only 16 rows up.  Wow.  This wasn't something we had ever planned on doing.  We would never dream of spending over $500 for a ticket to a sporting event.  But that's exactly what we received, for free.
What a blessing!

And I think that this, in a lot of ways, sums up what we've been going through over the past year.  As we continue to follow the Lord, He continues to bless us in ways that knock us off our feet.

Like this...

We were at the Fall Retreat for our youth group a few weekends ago.  We were having a campfire one night, and the youth pastor asked me to pray, to close out the evening.  Before I prayed, I asked the students to look up at the stars.  It was a clear night and we were able to see many more stars than we can in Wheaton.  And just then, a star shot across the sky.  In that short moment that all of us were looking up, we all got to see a shooting star.

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." 

-Psalm 19:1

What are the chances of that happening in that exact, very short moment?  It was like God was showing off a little bit.  Giving us a small glimpse of His glory.
What a blessing!

But there's more...

Rent is going up by $100 in November and again in April by the same.  What did we receive?  A current partner who wanted to raise their support and a new partner who wanted to begin supporting us.  Together, they'd account for not just this month's rent going up, but also for the raise that will happen again in April.  Something we had not even begun to pray about yet.
What a blessing!

Remember what Paul says to the church in Philippi, as they helped support him?

"And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus."   

-Philippians 4: 19

Every need.  Wow.  We have seen that to be true, time and time again.

But God goes further than just giving us what we need.  Oh how worthy of praise He would be, if that's all He did!  He goes beyond our needs and more often than not, gives us the desires of our hearts.  I'm speaking from experience here. 

"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."

-Psalm 37:4

I wish I could say that I am constantly delighting in Him above all things.  But sometimes I forget just how delightful He is.  I'd rather watch something on Netflix than spend time in His Word.  I'd rather just read His Word rather than study it and memorize it.  Jesus had words for His disciples when they felt tired and lazy:

"Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

-Matthew 26:41

So here I am, this weak fleshed, willing spirit, who wants to delight himself in the Lord above all things.  And I'm busy.  Working full time at LeaderTreks.  Part time at College Church.  Wife.  Daughter.  Baby on the way.  Trying to figure out what we'll be doing in 9 months, but not having a clue.  Just waiting.  Trusting.

"The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations."

-Psalm 33:11

We are so excited to find out what that next step is going to be.  But for now, we're just waiting.  Would you join us in thanking God for His constant and amazing provision, and in asking Him to make the plans of His heart known to us?

By the way, the Bears game was amazing.  It came down to the final seconds.  Bears barely won.  Just another small gift - a mini joy - the Lord threw in there.

And for those of you who might need a refreshed sense of joy in the Lord, who might need to be impressed by Him in a new way, I'd encourage you to take 2 minutes (120 seconds) and listen to this mini-sermon.   

I hope it encourages you!

     



 

Back in Chi-town

Hey friends!

So I have to admit that this post is a tad late!  We've been back in town for a few weeks now, and are finally feeling rested and ready to go on another adventure.  We actually, believe it or not, were all sick again.  We just couldn't stay healthy.  This past sickness we blame on a sweet little boy in Annabelle's daycare class in Pawleys, which in turn, means we blame Annie! It took three weeks for us all to feel completely better.  But we're back!

Our life here in Chicago feels so slow paced.  Especially since Robbie has had some time off work to rest.  We keep saying, "Shouldn't we be somewhere, doing something?".  Robbie keeps having these moments, when he wakes up in the middle of the night in a panic thinking, "Where's the team? What am I late for!?" Its crazy how such an intense (in the best sense of the word) summer can change your whole perspective on life. In 8 weeks. Wow. Our lives were definitely changed on a much deeper level.  Where should I begin on this beautiful journey of grace and blessings?

As the summer came to an end, we were shocked at how things were actually... coming to an end!  How in the world did Ms. Janie's house get finished?  Where did the money come from?  Who are all these people around us helping?  Wow, how this community was impacted! Wow.  One of my favorite memories was on that last Friday, as we were all so busy and working so hard to finish in our time limit, I looked up and saw a community of people serving God.  A vision had been caught.  I saw LT - an amazing man (and an amazing electrician and handyman) who had given so much of his time and resources already. His employees were there.  Then there was the floor guy - another friend of LT.  Mr. Richard was there too - he is a relative in the community who was an expert at mudding drywall. Of course I can't forget Mr. Larry - the father-in-law of our missionary partner who helped us out all summer long whenever we hit a roadblock or had a question.  And then, of course, there were our students for that week - most of whom, were not believers!  It was overwhelming.  All of these people were giving so freely of their time and resources.  It was pretty incredible how we were a part of something so big.  One thing was clear: God was working.

I was blown away with the fact that we were actually doing something here.  God had chosen us to speak to these people, and it was powerful.  I don't think all of you heard, but during our 6th week, Ms. Hope's husband was killed in a car accident. (Just to clarify, Ms. Hope is Ms. Janie's daughter and our main contact and best relationship).  I believe that there was great purpose in the timing of that event, the blessing of the new house, and the fact that the whole family was surrounded by people who love Jesus!  It was no doubt, a very difficult time for the family and the community.  But just the opportunities we got to share the practical love and grace of Christ was so powerful.  This community is stuck in their generations of bad habits.  And here we are, offering another way.  If I learned anything this summer, its that the gospel is both given and received best when true sacrifice happens.  Otherwise, its just too easy.  This is the road less traveled, and Christ didn't say it would be easy.  In fact, He said the opposite:

"Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you."  John 15:20

Here are some before and after shots of the house:

 The kitchen received new appliances, cabinets, and ceramic tile!

 In the living room we installed laminate wood floors, sewed curtains, a new ceiling and walls, as well as new furniture!

 This is one of the rooms and closets, and also shows the electrical box... an electrician re-wired the whole house!

 One of the bedrooms with new walls, paint, and floors!

The bathroom received a new vanity, floor, paint and bathroom accessories! 

 This summer was so special.  We are so blessed that we got to be a part of something so big. We were so happy with the final product on the house, and we felt that we were able to pour into students lives and challenge them to be radical for Christ.

We know of at least 3 students that made decisions to follow Jesus this summer.  At least 7 kids at the VBS throughout the summer made decisions to follow Him as well.  Many others were challenged in various ways throughout their time with us in Pawleys.  One of the youth pastors that came, told us that we were basically running a discipleship laboratory out there.  What a joy it was to see students get excited about following Christ and studying His Word.  What a privilege it was to show students day in and day out, that in order to be a great leader of men, we must first be great followers of Jesus.  Thank you so much for your prayers this summer.  We truly saw God work on your behalf several times, giving us strength, healing us of sickness, providing miraculously, and in so many other ways.  What a great summer this was!   

  

Pawleys Island Family Picture

 

Pawleys Island Week Four

Hey everyone! We have just ended our fourth week in this beautiful place!

Sun Valley Church from Gilbert, AZ joined us for the week.  These students were rising sophomores and Juniors, and were very eager to see progress on this house.  Half of these guys were here last year, and desire to see the impact they saw last summer, here, on "the Hill".  These students are hungry for God's Word, and they were so excited to teach the kids in VBS.

I realized I haven't said much at all about the VBS that is going on every afternoon here at the church.  So here it is:  The students have planned and run the VBS completely on their own.  Its a great challenge,  for these kids are, well, quite difficult!  The kids that are coming to the VBS everyday are mostly the black kids from "the Hill".   They are so hungry for attention and love from the students.  For the past four weeks we have watched these same kids some every afternoon eager to be loved.  Its been an incredible thing to watch.  As each group finds their own way to show God's love and compassion to these students.  This week, one of the students from SunValley church, Jordan, who was here last year, was able to meet back up with a little boy he'd become so close with the year before.  I watched as Jeremiah, the little guy, walked into the room, recognized familiar faces and took off running looking for "JORDAN!" "Jordan, are you here??!!" and Jordan hearing him from the other room, saying "Jeremiah! I'm here!"  They joined in this bear hug, and the two of them were inseperable for the rest of the week.

(Jordan and Jeremiah)

This week was such an encouraging week for me personally.  We are really beginning to see these little kids that come to the VBS everyday come alive.  As I get to know these kids a better and better every week, I really beg the Lord that he would break the cycle that runs in their family.  Especially these sweet little boys.  When you look at how innocent and sweet these guys are, and to think that in just a few years, the statistic that they will be going to jail is so high, it hurts my heart.  Lord, can't You change the way these kids think?  Won't You remove the blinders from their eyes, that they decide not to go down the same path that every black man in this community goes down?  What about Elijah, Josalyn, and Justin? Or Jay, Tyfeak, and Tyasia?  Will You please save these little ones?

 I love this pic, although so many are missing. We are averaging 40-45 kids a day!

The broken families and lack of fathers is so evident in the way these kids interact with others.  I wish I could take these guys home with me.  (Well, some days atleast! :))  This week on the 4th of July, the summer program that these kids go to was cancelled, so there were many kids hanging around the worksite that morning.  They all wanted to help with the house!  And I love that the relationship with them is so great that they felt comfortable to come and jump right in!  We had kids sanding and mudding drywall, and the students loved teaching them.

The house is coming along.  This week these high schoolers reached their goals... They finished drywall on the walls and ceilings and did such a significant amount on the mudding and sanding (it is a never ending job!).  They demolished the kitchen and put up new drywall.  They demolished the floor in the front room and laid the plywood down to be able to start flooring soon!  Friday was so exciting to see the progress made.

More pictures to follow soon! Off to the worksite! 

Also, thanks for praying, we are all back to full health after 4 weeks of crazy sickness.  Please pray that Satan would stay away!  "Lord, protect us, and help stay focused on the task at hand.  May it be all for Your glory and have an eternal magnitude. Amen"

We love you all, and I hope to post more pictures off my camera in the next couple of days! 

Lauren (for Robbie and Annabelle!)

Life in Pawleys Island!

Hello from Pawleys Island, SC where the grass is greener!  Well, kind of.  We have been here just about 3 weeks (please accept our apology for taking so long to update! geez.), and we are full into crazy ministry!  We are at the end of our 3rd week of students, and have finally hit our stride! (Or so I think!)

We arrived here at Pawleys Island Community Church about 1 am Friday morning almost 3 weeks ago and hit the ground running.  I must first mention our two awesome interns, Ira and Taylor.  These ladies are pretty incredible.  Our team has such a rich dynamic, and we have I think all found our niche in this crazy place.  Ira, originally from Russia, has such a love for these kids. She has such a gentle spirit and can somehow use that to push these students to dive into their student leader roles.  I often look to her as a guide when tensions are high!  Taylor is a very outgoing, high energy, fun-loving kind of girl. She's from a small town in Pennsylvania and is a junior at Cedarville University.  This girl keeps going and going and going.  The kids are drawn to her, and I often find her right in the middle of the chaos.

Ira, Taylor, and Lauren at VBS (and yes, that is a sonic shake in my hand!)

For the past few weeks we have been working on Ms. Janie's house.  Ms. Janie is the great-grandmother matriarch of this community.  Her house is located on "the Hill", which is what everyone calls the black community that we are working in.  These families are broken.  Most of them have several children with what they call different "baby-daddies".  Ms. Janie has 24 grandkids and 12 great- grandkids, and for the most part, they all live on "the Hill".  With the lack of father's stepping forward these families have a distorted view of healthy and normal.  As our missionary partner, Graham, says, "The men are in a revolving door at the county jail.  Its not normal if you are a black male and haven't been to jail."  We want to leave a footprint here.  Graham is working hard, preaching the gospel everywhere he goes.  I love his simple view of it... " I come bringing the gospel, not screaming leave your sin.  Once the Holy Spirit is alive and working in these men, won't Christ change their heart?"  It is incredible what the simple gospel is doing in this community.  Graham has been here 8 months, and has seen the drugs leave this area they call "the Hill".  Ms. Janie has opened her house up to Graham and this is where "church" services are held.  This is where Graham has an in to this ministry.  LeaderTreks and Robbie desired to partner with Graham and affirm to the people this love that Graham has been talking about.  It is pretty awesome how people can see the gospel working in their community.  Everyday we have people that drive by, pull in, stop and look, and ask questions.  Why are a bunch of white people helping Ms. Janie?  Its been a powerful testimony to the work that Graham is already doing here.

So this year's work project in Pawleys Island has been Ms. Janie's house.  You see, this home was not livable.  The ceilings were caving in, mold and mildew had over taken the house, and the roof was not working as a roof should.  So we decided to take on the challenge!

Here are some before pictures:

I can't wait till week 7.  Its gonna rock your world!


We have already had three groups come through and it has been a blast!

Week 1: Cross View Church

Our first group was here from Indiana, and they were unstoppable! They exceeded their goals!  They demolished the house down to the studs, put on a new roof, put up dry wall in several areas of the house, and replaced siding on the exterior of the house.  These guys were awesome.

Week 2: Bay Life Church 

This team was a middle school group of mostly soon to be 9th graders from Tampa, FL.  They held there own at the work site as well as we began cleaning and priming the outside of the house, putting up more and more drywall, Mudding and sanding the drywall (to perfection!) and completing the demolition!  Wow.  After week 2,  it seemed like the summer projects would fly by...

Week 3: Christ the King Church

This is another middle school group that has proved themselves again! Tomorrow is our last day at the worksite for the week, so who knows how much more they will accomplish.  Already they have done more mudding and sanding, finished the drywall, demolished the ceilings, put up new ceiling drywall, began painting the outside of the house (which is no longer blue, but a very nice gray!), and finished replacing some of the panels on the outside of the house.  Very impressive. (Pictures soon to follow!)


I just have to say here that these past few weeks have truly burdened my heart for single moms and their kids.  Its a tough job, that I don't know I could do.  I often find myself thinking and praying about what God has for us long term.  I don't know what that is yet, but I do know that I love these families so much that I know I must work with women and children, especially those in broken families.  How God longs to restore their hearts!

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.  (Titus 2:11-14)

Three weeks in, and God is doing some great stuff!  So I know this has been a long update, but at least you are up to date on what is going on in Pawleys Island. Please keep praying!

Some specific requests: 

- for our health.  Robbie, Annie, and myself have had every sickness we can get, and we've only been here 3 weeks!  From food poisoning, cold and sore throat, and that awful virus that sucks the life out of you (poor Annie).  So please pray that we'd just be healthy.  Praise the Lord our interns have been at full health!

- for the next 4 teams.  That these students would grow in their leadership skills, and also develop a heart to serve others. As Doug Franklin says, "If one student decides to be radical for the Lord, its worth it!"

- for Ms. Janie's family.  Including, Ms. Hope, Chassidy, Nevaeh, and baby Kennedy.  May the gospel change their life forever!

Thanks for praying!

All for Him,
Lauren (For Robbie and Annie)

Here are a couple of pictures just for fun:

The Controversy of Homosexuality

With Barack Obama announcing his support of homosexual marriage, and the people of the state of North Carolina voting to change the state constitution to say that the only valid "domestic legal partnership" in the state is marriage between a man and a woman, I thought I would comment on this controversial subject.

I've never been one to back down from a controversial conversation.  And I believe that this conversation is an important one, for several reasons.  First, because Christians are being deceived by the lie that homosexual marriage is honoring to God.  Homosexuality is no longer seen as sinful in this culture and is becoming more and more prevalent in the younger generations.  And at the core of all of this, I see 2 reasons why this has happened, and why this will continue to happen, along with more and more sin being not only acceptable, but encouraged:

1) We live in a culture where tolerance is the highest virtue.
2) We no longer believe in a God who does not tolerate sin.

Here's the way I said it in a recent conversation on Facebook, talking with a Wheaton College grad who claims that God is glorified through homosexual marriage:

"Tolerance has become the defining theme of our culture today. It seems like we must tolerate and cater to everyone, even when it seems utterly ridiculous. And this, I argue, is taking away my freedom. Because you see, we can talk about sin all day long and it's totally acceptable. TV shows are now showing the gay lifestyle in great detail (Glee, Smash, just to name a few). But when I start presenting the God of the Bible, the One Who created the universe, the One Who created us male and female, the One Who holds all things together, the One Who we will stand before one day and give an account for our lives, I often times feel like people just want me to shut up. To be nicer to those who are living in direct disobedience to the King. To keep my views to myself because I'm offending certain people. People seem tolerant of just about anything these days, except for when we start talking about Jesus. Nobody wants to hear what God has to say anymore...and certainly not the God of the Bible. And so we've created a new god. A god who is just as tolerant of sin as we are, because after all, tolerance is our defining characteristic. So why take the time to get to know the real God, when I can just put words in His mouth, ideas in His brain, and change the plot of the greatest story ever told? Why not start believing that He is totally accepting of the homosexual lifestyle and any other sin? Why not start insisting that those in the LBGT community can bring glory to Him through their sinful relationships? People have cried just from reading some of these posts! That's how tolerant we are of this! Christians, who claim to know and love Jesus, are giving approval and even defending this sin in our culture. In our great quest for total tolerance, we've become intolerant of the Word of God."

I believe that this is an issue that we as believers must not back down from.  We are commanded to love sinners, not to love sin.  So this is directed to those who claim to know and love Jesus, yet are either living outside the guidelines that God has set for us, or are giving approval to those who are.  Homosexual relationships are not, and have never been acceptable to God.  I wanted to post one more interaction from my conversation on Facebook.  The first is from a girl who chimed in with her opinion, followed by my response.  Hopefully, you see my heart in this matter:


"Robbie- why is it everybody else's business on what someone chooses to do? If a man wants to sleep with a man... according to the Bible he's going to Hell right? So let him go to Hell. The government has NO RIGHT to say no gay marriage. It's not their business nor their bodies. And from what I remember... homosexuals pay their taxes every April 17th just like all the straight people. So why shouldn't they get the same benefits? Why can't we all just worry about bettering ourselves and not give a damn what strangers do nor where they'll end up in the afterlife?"

My Response:
"My statements are intended for Bible believing Christians who I feel are ignoring truth in the Bible. And here's why I can't just worry about bettering myself and not give a damn what strangers do nor where they'll end up in the afterlife. Because love demands that people know the truth. How much would I have to hate someone, to believe in an eternal lake of fire, and not tell them that they're headed for it unless they change their ways? Yet this is what so many Christians do. We don't tell people. Yet those Christians are seen as "nice" and "respectable" by the world. But I don't want to stand before God on the last day and know that I was seen as nice and respectable by the world. I'm not living for the approval of man. I'm living for the approval of God, and He has commanded us to go into the world and tell people that His Son is the only way to heaven, that He has standards, and that unforgiven sin is the only thing that can keep us out of heaven. My beliefs, lived out, demand that I live honestly. If not, I'm living in hatred towards those who don't know God. So when I call sin out and tell people that they need Jesus, I don't think I'm being mean or overstepping my bounds. I think it's the most loving thing I can possibly do for someone, to tell them how they can have a relationship with Jesus and spend eternity with Him. While there may be greater issues that the government could focus on than homosexual marriage, there is no greater issue in all of life, than whether or not we know Jesus."


Romans 1:16-32, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Ephesians 5


I feel like I could write a book on this, but at the end of the day, God's Word speaks for itself.  I'm so excited that I get to spend a summer with Jr. High and High School students from all over America.  I'm excited that I get to talk about the righteous, glorious, holy God of the Bible.  I think having a right perspective of who God is, and even talking about Him in a way that demonstrates our total awe for Him, helps shape the way we see the world around us.  As A.W. Tozer said, "What comes into our mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us."  

To close, we're all sinners. Each person has their unique struggles. I don't think I'm any better than a homosexual. I just don't share that struggle. But I'm a sinner, just like them. The playing ground is level. We've all fallen short of God's glory. Recognizing how and where we've fallen short, is the first step towards radical obedience.

 

Update on our plans for Israel

If you've been sitting around lately wondering, "I wonder whatever happened to Robbie and Lauren's plans to move to Israel?" than this blog post is for you!  As many of you know, Israel has been on the horizon for us for quite a while. 

Lauren and I in Jerusalem (winter of 2010)

It's been over 2 years now since we were there, but we still want to go back.  We had been starting up the process of going with a certain mission agency and thought that things were moving ahead when God totally slammed the door on those plans.  To make a long story short, we were rejected by that agency because the missionaries in Israel that are with that agency, must extend an invitation to us to come to Israel, in order for us to be sent by that agency.  The missionaries could not extend an invitation to us because they were experiencing "growing pains" in their ministry, and could not take on any more people.  Thus, we were back to square one.  We're going through the missionary prep program at College Church in Wheaton, and still have a desire to serve the Lord full time.  We believe that at some point, we will end up in Israel, but at this point, we have surrendered our plans to the Lord and are willing to be used by Him, anywhere He should choose.  For now, that means serving Him right here in the suburbs of Chicago, working at LeaderTreks.

Lauren and I will be in Pawley's Island, SC this summer, leading mission trips for youth groups from all over America. 

We were able to visit our site a couple of weeks ago and are very excited about our summer there.  It is known as a vacation spot because of the beautiful beaches and nice golf courses, but there are some really poor neighborhoods on the main land, and that is where we'll be spending the majority of our time.  If you'd like to read more about where we'll be and what we'll be doing, click here. 

If you live in South Carolina and would like to come out at some point to see what we're doing, we'd love to see you.  Please feel free to get in contact with Lauren or myself and let us know!      

Forever change the way you think about rain!!

I had a professor at Columbia International University, who once opened a class on a rainy day with these words: "I think God doesn't like it when we walk outside on a rainy day and say, 'Oh no!  It's raining!'"  I've always remembered that, because I think that is generally our response to rain.  We see it as an inconvenience, a pain, something to be dealt with.  However, according to Scripture, we ought to see it as a great, unsearchable, wonder of God.  Below, I've typed out a short devotional by John Piper from his book, "Taste and See," as he talks about rain, based on Job 5:8-10.  I think it will forever change how you think about rain.

Job 5:8-10

"But as for me, I would seek God, 

And I would place my cause before God;

Who does great and unsearchable things, 

Wonders without number.

He gives rain on the earth

And sends water on the fields."

       "If you said to someone: 'My God does great and unsearchable things; he does wonders without number,' and they responded, 'Really?  Like what?' would you say, 'Like rain'?  When I read these verses from Job recently, I felt, at first, the way I did on hearing some bad poetry that went something like this: 'Let me suffer, let me die, just to win your hand; let me even climb a hill, or walk across the land.'  Even?  I would suffer and die to have your hand, and even walk across the land?  As if walking across the land were more sacrificial than dying?  This sounded to me like a joke.

       But Job is not joking.  'God does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number.  He gives rain on the earth.'  In Job's mind rain really is one of the great, unsearchable wonders that God does.  So when I read this verse a few weeks ago, I resolved not to treat it as meaningless pop musical lyrics.  I decided to have a conversation with myself (which is what I mean by meditation).

       Is rain a great and unsearchable wonder wrought by God?  Picture yourself as a farmer in the Near East, far from any lake or stream.  A few wells keep the family and animals supplied with water.  But if the crops are to grow and the family is to be fed from month to month, water has to come from another source on the fields.  From where?

       Well the sky.  The sky?  Water will come out of the clear blue sky?  Well, not exactly.  Water will have to be carried in the sky from the Mediterranean Sea over several hundred miles, and then poured out on the fields from the sky.  Carried?  How much does it weigh?  Well, if one inch of rain falls on one square mile of farmland during the night, that would be 2,323,200 cubic feet of water, which is 17,377,536 gallons, which is 144,735,360 pounds of water.

       That's heavy.  So how does it get up in the sky and stay up there if it's so heavy?  Well, it gets up there by evaporation. Really?  That's a nice word.  What's it mean?  It means that the water stops being water for a while so it can go up and not down.  I see.  Then how does it get down?  Well, condensation happens.  What's that?  The water starts becoming water again by gathering around little dust particles between .00001 and .0001 centimeters wide.  That's small.

       What about the salt?  Salt?  Yes, the Mediterranean Sea is saltwater.  That would kill the crops.  What about the salt?  Well, the salt has to be taken out.  Oh.  So the sky picks up millions of pounds of water from the sea, takes out the salt, carries the water (or whatever it is, when it is not water) for three hundred miles, and then dumps it out (now turned into water again) on the farm?

       Well, it doesn't dump it.  If it dumped millions of pounds of water on the farm, the wheat would be crushed.  So the sky dribbles the millions of pounds of water down in little drops.  And they have to be big enough to fall for one mile or so without evaporating, and small enough to keep from crushing the wheat stalks.

       How do all these microscopic specks of water that weigh millions of pounds get heavy enough to fall (if that's the way to ask the question)?  Well, it's called coalescence.  What's that?  It means the specks of water start bumping into each other and join up and get bigger, and when they are big enough, they fall.  Just like that?  Well, not exactly, because they would just bounce off each other instead of joining up if there were no electric field present.  What?  Never mind.  Take my word for it.

       I think, instead, I will just take Job's word for it. I still don't see why drops ever get to the ground, because if they start falling as soon as they are heavier than air, they would be too small not to evaporate on the way down, but if they wait to come down, what holds them up till they are big enough not to evaporate? Yes, I am sure there is a name for that too. But I am satisfied now that, by any name, this is a great and unsearchable thing that God has done. I think I should be thankful - lots more thankful than I am."

Rice FCA Trip

I just wanted to share a link with you that the leader of the Rice FCA group posted on their website.  You can read his brief thoughts on the trip and listen to a few of the student testimonies.  It was a great trip!

Amy and Michael were the 2 students from my site.
http://www.ricefca.com/2012/03/12/trip-recap/

Clearing grass where the bathrooms would be.

Digging the trench for the foundation.

Dennis, our foreman, giving instructions.

The completed walls for the bathrooms!  We stayed till the sun went down to finish.

We had around 200 people at the soccer camp they put on!

Praying with the kids from the soccer camp on the 2nd day.

On the last day we went to Manuel Antonio National Park.  Beautiful!

At the end of the trip, I asked them to, in their opinion, list the qualities of a great leader.  This is what they came up with.  If only we had more leaders with these qualities in the world!  This is why I love working at LeaderTreks.  We get a chance to raise up leaders who desire to look and lead like this.