What if ISIS came to your hometown?

     The world has watched as ISIS continues to systematically kill Christians for no other reason than the fact that they're Christians.  As I read the articles and watch the news reports, this thought continues to come to my mind: "What if ISIS came here?"  A myriad of other thoughts are there as well, but this is the one that continues to haunt me.  And if the world continues to do nothing in response to these evil men, we very well may come face to face with the answer to that question, no matter where we live.  So, what if ISIS came to Bogota?  What if, one day, we received a report that ISIS was here, and they were heading for our school or our home?  Let me tell you what ISIS would want from us.  The want us to fear.  A simple Google image search of ISIS will bring horrific images into your mind, that they hope will strike fear in our hearts.  Just read one of their most recent statements:

"You will not have safety even in your dreams, until you accept Islam.  All crusaders: safety for you will be only wishes, especially if you are fighting us all together."

Safety.  Man, they nailed it.  Isn't that what humans ultimately care most about?  We will take risks, but only if we know it's within the realm of safety.  We want our kids to be safe.  We want our spouses to be safe.  We want our friends to be safe.  We care for our own lives.  And that's not a bad thing.  We should love people.  And love often desires safety.  

Unless we're talking about the greatest love that this world has ever known.  The love that came from heaven and bore the eternal wrath of God on our behalf, so that we could bear the eternal pleasure of God on His behalf.  This love doesn't desire safety for us.  This love tells us to love our enemies, and to pray for those who persecute us.  To count our lives as nothing and to count death as gain.

The Creator of the universe doesn't desire your safety, He desires your life.

Isn't it ironic that the very thing ISIS is using to strike fear into the hearts of Christians, is actually the very thing that should bring us the greatest joy?  They threaten us with death!  Hallelujah!  For death is the only thing in this world that will bring us face to face with our Savior, for whom we long.

May we never cling so tightly to our love of safety, that we lose sight of the One who exchanged the safety of heaven for the suffering of the cross.  He faced death and conquered it, so that we could come to our moment of death, whether at the hands of ISIS, cancer, or old age, and know that we have nothing to fear, if we have placed our trust in Jesus, our Lord and our God.  

"When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.  In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.  What can flesh do to me?  All day long they injure my cause; all their thoughts are against me for evil.  They stir up strife, they lurk; they watch my steps, as they have waited for my life....

THIS I KNOW, THAT GOD IS FOR ME.  IN GOD, WHOSE WORD I PRAISE, IN GOD I TRUST; I SHALL NOT BE AFRAID.  WHAT CAN MAN DO TO ME?"

-Psalm 56:4-6, 10-11

If ISIS surprises us with their presence, with their threats of death, with their claims to rip any sense of safety out of our lives, we won't fear.  For our trust is in God.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSv4vBcFyvo

Miracles

You know how things happen in your life sometimes...things that you can't really explain?  Often times we write it off as coincidence, or lucky, or fortunate, or some other fancy word to leave God out of the equation.  But I've seen a few things already this summer that are too incredible to be a coincidence.  I'd like to share just a couple of those things in this blog post.

We're here in Pawleys Island, SC for the summer, working for LeaderTreks, leading mission trips for Jr. High and High School groups from all across America.  Pretty sweet job right?  Well, we arrived a few days before the first team got here and I went over to check out the house that we would be working on in the community.  As part of all LeaderTreks mission trips, each group does a work project for a decent portion of the day.  So picking a great work project is key to a great summer.  The house that I had selected back in February was a total disaster.  But I hadn't realized how bad it was because I hadn't been able to go inside back in February.  As I entered the house for the first time just a few weeks ago, the odor almost knocked me over.  I thought for sure it was mold, which meant I'd have to find another project very quickly.

I called one of my connections down here, an expert in all things construction, and he came over to take a look at the house.  We walked in, looked through the whole place, and we left.  He didn't want to say anything in front of the home owner, but after we left, he told me that he knew exactly what that smell was.  It wasn't mold.  It was the smell of cockroach infestation and dog feces.  The home was clearly infested with bugs.  Everywhere you looked, bugs were crawling over everything - the furniture, the walls, the floor, even in the fridge.  It was disgusting.  This family had also let their 3 dogs live in the house and use the floor as a bathroom.  The conclusion that my friend arrived at was that, practically speaking, there was nothing we could really do to help this woman.  Nothing could be saved in this house.  He suggested that we just build a deck for her and find another project, somewhere else in the community.

I left there feeling very discouraged and conflicted and was about 95% sure that I would have to tell this woman that we were not going to be able to really help her.  But then I began to pray about it.  As I did, I began to have clarity.  My job is to develop students as leaders and as disciples of Christ.  Would it be better for them to just build a deck and do some other random work in the community, or would it be better to let them see the conditions in which someone in desperate need was living?  Which would provide the better environment for leadership development and discipleship?  Which would demonstrate my faith in an Almighty God more clearly?  I felt like the Lord was wanting me to step out and take a risk on this house, so I decided to go for it.

That first week, the Lord responded emphatically.  On Monday, a guy drove by the house who worked for "Marshall Pest Control."  He just happened to be driving by and asked if we might need the house to be sprayed for bugs.  Ha.  I told him I wasn't sure if they had enough spray in stock for this house.  They've sprayed the house twice, dusted it twice, put chemical food out once and still, there are bugs.  Kind of impressive right?

On Tuesday, we were in the middle of demolition, and a couple of the students ripped the sink out.  As they did so, water went spraying everywhere.  I came over and turned the water off underneath the sink, but that wasn't working really well and some water was still coming out.  I had to find the main shutoff valve to the house, and I needed to find it quickly.  I started looking all over the place, but couldn't find it anywhere.  Eventually, I called the homeowner and she told me it was out by the street, in her neighbors yard.  I went over and started looking for it.  I found the water meter, and saw that there was a valve that could be turned, but I couldn't turn it.  I called for Taylor (our intern) to run and get me a hammer to see if I could hit it to get it started.  As she was gone, I sat there on my knees on the side of the road, hoping and praying that this would work.  Just then, a man drove by in a truck.  Not just any truck.  It was the official, "City of Pawleys Island Water and Sewer" truck.  He stopped, rolled down his window and said, "Are you looking for the main shutoff valve to that house over there?"  I'm not sure what look I had on my face, but I'm pretty sure my mouth was open.  Dumbfounded, I said, "Yes...as a matter of fact that's exactly what I'm looking for!"  He jumped out of his truck, came over, dug around for a few seconds, found another hole in the ground that had the shutoff valve, turned it off, jumped back in his truck and took off.  It took him about 30 seconds.  I NEVER would have found it.  I probably would have done something really bad in fact, by hitting that other valve with a hammer.

This was not a coincidence.  No.  This was the Lord sending someone at the exact moment when I needed help.  It was an affirmation from Him, yet again, that He has my back.  He's looking out for me and cares for me.  This was a miracle that I got to be a part of.  Incredible.

Other things happened that week that were clearly the Lord, but one other thing that I thought was especially incredible was that this house needed a roof really badly.  However, LeaderTreks no longer puts teams on top of houses due to liability issues.  So I had no idea how this roof was going to get done.  But I trusted that the Lord would provide in some way for that as well.  Sure enough, word got out about what we were doing, and people wanted to help.  During the second week of the summer, different groups of people came every day to help replace this roof.  We had several professional contractors, professional roofers, and others who had zero experience, but who wanted to help.  The roof still needs to be finished (and as I listen to the thunder storm outside right now, I'm tempted to worry a little bit), but I have no doubt that it will get done very soon.  I never would have dreamt of such an overwhelming response from the people in the community (both the white and black community).  But again, that's the Lord providing for the needs of His people.  Awesome!

This past week, we were able to finish demolition and begin the rebuilding process.  There's an incredible amount to do and I truly believe it will be a miracle if the house gets finished.  But we serve a  God of miracles and He loves to reveal Himself to us and bring glory to His name.  Week 4 has begun already, and I can't wait to see what He has in store for us this week.  There is no adventure like following Jesus!   

What's Wrong With Being a Christian?

There's a trend happening in our world today.  More and more Christians are not wanting to identify themselves as Christians.  They don't want to say they're a part of the church.  They don't want to be associated with the exclusivity of the gospel.

"Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you." 

- 1 John 3:13

They think that Christians are closed minded, naive, intolerant and old fashioned.  I've even heard people say that Christianity is a dying religion and that it must adapt to stay alive in today's world.

What?!

Now, understand me when I say, I have nothing wrong with the phrase, "I'm a follower of Jesus."  I just hate that the term "Christian" is so loaded in people's minds.  It's arrived at the point where people who would say they are followers of Jesus, don't want to also say that they are Christians.  But that's exactly what the word "Christian" means: follower of Christ!  Is it because we don't want to associate ourselves with certain people?  Is it because we're afraid that the world will think we're crazy?  I don't know all the reasons, but I think at the core of it is a desire to live for ourselves.  I think that too many people believe that Christianity is about being comfortable.  Jesus died for ME so I must be really important.  We put ourselves at the center of the gospel and value ourselves higher than we do our Savior.  But friends, we are not at the center of the gospel! John Piper once said it like this:

"Before you ever came on this scene, before this universe ever existed, God was holy, infinitely valuable, incomparable, absolutely unique.  And He knew it.  And He loved it.  And He treasured it, because He's wise and righteous.  And a righteous person always values what is most valuable.  Therefore before you ever came on the scene, God valued God above all things.  He saw the perfections of Himself, shining out of His own infinitely glorious divine Son, and He loved His Son, and the Son loved the Father, and the Holy Spirit powerfully, personally radiated between the Father and the Son.  Before you were ever on the scene, there was a 'gladsomness' in reality.  And then you came on the scene, and I'll tell you something...nothing changed!  God did not suddenly become an idolater when He created man, putting man where God belongs.  God is not a man worshiper.  God is a God worshiper - or would you deny Him the highest joys of the universe?"  

Maybe the problem with some people in the church today is that they haven't realized this.  Maybe they think that their lives are all about themselves.  Maybe they think God is a man-centered God.  Maybe they need to be reminded that our God is holy and that their lives need to be lived in total submission to Him.  Maybe if we became less self-seeking and sought after God with all our energy, we would stop looking at the flaws of our brothers and sisters and see the wonders of the glory of Christ and desire to identify with His people - the church - Christians.  I'm not afraid to do it.  I'm a Christian.  I don't care what image that puts in people's minds.  Because I'm going to try and live as much like Jesus as possible and at the end of the day,

I don't answer to people.  I answer to God.  

It's time that we, as true followers of Christ, boldly proclaim that we're Christians.  And as we live for Him, maybe the world will get a different picture in their minds of what Christians are.  Maybe the term "Christian" will once again mean one thing when it is spoken in this world.  And that one thing will be: "followers of Christ."

Colombia Story (Email 3 of 3)

I sent this email out on Monday, April 1st to our friends and family.  I was encouraged by several people to blog this email and the other 2.  I hope you enjoy reading about what's happened in our lives over the past month.

It's hard to try and describe the range of emotions that Lauren and I have gone through over the past few weeks.  We've had some incredible ups and downs, intermixed with just waiting to see the Lord answer our prayers.  Waiting is tough.  We pray in faith, believing that God will answer.  But there's still that feeling in your stomach, that tiny bit of doubt that creeps in, that thought in your head that says, "be realistic...you're asking for too much."  And this morning, about an hour ago, the Lord again answered our (and your) prayers.  Lauren's Passport finally arrived!  Thank you so much to all of you who have prayed for this.  We truly see this as a miracle.  

For those of you who don't know the story, Lauren needed to replace her damaged Passport (Riley chewed it up about 2 years ago) and Lincoln needed a new one.  So she sent everything in (including her damaged passport), a few weeks ago, hoping that we would get new Passports really quickly.  Lincoln's came on Tuesday (the 26th).  Lauren received an email on Wednesday (the 27th), from the Passport place, stating that they needed Lauren's damaged Passport.  There was no number she could call to tell them that she had sent it already, and there was no way to reply to that email.  The only way to get in contact with these people was to send a letter, stating that she had sent the damaged Passport.  (On a side-note, isn't our government awesome?!  Utterly ridiculous that that's the only way to get in contact with them).  So Lauren over-nighted a letter on Wednesday.  We assume that they received it on Thursday, but we weren't sure what would happen with the holiday weekend, and it still generally takes 2-3 weeks to process and receive passports, even when expedited.  And so we waited and prayed...waited and prayed...waited and prayed.  We went back and forth on whether or not to change Lauren's flight to a later date.  We decided to not touch her flight and just trust the Lord.  And we are glad that we did.  

I was watching the first part of that Bible series from the History channel on Youtube last night, and was encouraged by the stories of Noah, Abraham and Moses - men who simply trusted God and lived their lives in such a way that demonstrated that trust/faith in Him.  I was reading in Hebrews 11 this morning and again was reminded of those who have gone before us, who lived lives full of faith.  That passage says that these were people "of whom the world was not worthy."  Simply because they had faith.  They trusted God and His promises.  In the gospels, the only time that Jesus is ever amazed is when he sees that someone has a large amount of faith (Matthew 8:10), and when he sees an incredible lack of faith (Mark 6:6).  We want to be in that first category and experiences such as this continue to grow our faith in Him.  

Our flight leaves for Colombia tomorrow (Tuesday) at noon.  We'll both be on it (with Lincoln).  Annie will be with my sister's family.  Our finances have been taken care of.  What a joy it is to follow Christ!  There's no adventure that compares in this life!  

As we travel, we have a few remaining prayer requests for our time there:

-That the Lord would use me as I speak 4 times to a group of 43 students and 7 teachers.  The theme I'm speaking on is "Radical Obedience."

-That the Lord would make it very clear whether or not He wants us in Colombia long term.

-If He does want us there long term, that He would provide a great housing situation for us.

-Safety.  

Thank you so much for your prayers and/or financial support.  We can't wait to let you know how this trip goes!

Colombia Story (Email 2 of 3)

I sent this email out on Friday, March 15th to our friends and family.  I was encouraged by several people to blog this email and the other 2.  I hope you enjoy reading about what's happened in our lives over the past month.

What a week this has been!  Lauren and I were talking this morning, and we decided that one of the coolest things we've taken away from this week, is that we've realized that so many people are for us - cheering for us, praying for us, providing for us, sacrificing for us.  It's been so cool to get phone call after phone call and email after email, from our friends and family, letting us know that they want to help.  Thank you so much for helping us raise the money that we need, to go visit the place where we will, Lord willing, spend the next several years of our lives.  

We reached our goal yesterday evening and still, people continued to email and call, asking if they could give in the "last hour," this morning.  What a blessing!   In total, we've received $2350 in given or pledged money!  Thank you so much to all of you who gave and prayed for us during this time.  We are so grateful.  For those of you who were waiting for this email to send in your money, please feel free to do so now!  We'll be buying the plane tickets this afternoon/evening and we're already in the process with the Passports.  If you wanted to give but didn't get around to it, please feel free to save that money for later.  If we move to Colombia in September, we'll most likely need to do this all over again and would greatly appreciate your donations at that time!  If you have any questions, please feel free to give us a call or email us.  We'd love to talk!

There are so many stories I could tell from this week that encouraged our faith in huge ways.  But I wanted to share one in particular that we thought was especially cool.  

We made the decision yesterday, that we were not going to take Annie with us for this short week in April.  A number of reasons went into that decision, but we felt like it was the wisest decision we could make, taking all things into account.  We were planning on letting her stay with my Mom (Annie's "Nana") and Dad during that time.  I was talking with my Mom yesterday afternoon though, and she told me that she was actually going to be in North Carolina for her Mom's birthday - she'd bought the tickets several weeks ago before we even knew of this opportunity in Colombia, and it was going to be for almost the exact dates we'd be gone.  For the rest of the day yesterday, we were trying to think of people who could possibly watch Annie for a day or two at a time.  I called my sister that evening to see if she'd be willing to help out a little bit, and she said she thought she could help out for a few days, but that their schedule is, very understandably, (with 5 kids) busy.  Last night, as Lauren and I were praying before going to sleep, I prayed very specifically, that a situation would present itself where Annie could stay with the same people for the entire time and that it would be a perfect fit for Annie, where she would have a ton of fun with people she already knew, and that we would feel very confident in sending her into that situation.  We finished praying, and literally, 1 or 2 minutes later, I got a text from my sister which said, "I was looking at my calendar, and seriously...Annie can stay with us from Tuesday (or even Monday night) until the weekend, we could even keep her the whole time!!!"  

Wow.  Thank you Lord!  What a joy it is to know that there are so many people who are for us.  But how much greater it is to know that our heavenly Father is for us, leading and directing us every step of the way.  We can't wait to see what He has planned for us in Colombia.

"What then shall we say to these things?"

Thank you so much for everything!  We'll be sure to keep you updated as things happen. 

For Him,

Robbie and Lauren

Colombia Story (Email 1 of 3)

I sent this email out on Monday, March 11th to our friends and family.  I was encouraged by several people to blog this email and the following ones.  I hope you enjoy reading about what's happened in our lives over the past month.

As you probably well know, Lauren and I have been trying to figure out what we'll be doing in September for quite a while now.  My 2 year commitment at LeaderTreks ends in August and we need to make a decision very soon regarding whether or not we'll stay here for another year.  We've been praying and seeking guidance from lots of people, filling out applications for several different International Christian Schools and looking for jobs in the Wheaton area as well.  

Last week however, we received an email from the father of one of the girls that used to work at LeaderTreks with me.  He is the principal at El Camino Academy (ECA) in Bogota, Colombia.  We Skyped with them on Saturday and they really want us to come work there.  He would like me to fill the role of chaplain at the school, which is actually a position that they've been wanting to create for a while, but they just haven't had the right person to fill it.  This role would involve discipleship, teaching, leadership development and the implementation of a new discipleship program that I would create.  He has a vision for the teachers to all disciple one student and for the high school students to disciple middle school students, and for it to be an environment where real discipleship and growth takes place.  It sounds like the faculty and staff at this school are dreamers, which Lauren and I really love.  We don't ever want to stop dreaming about how God can use us!  This opportunity is something that has us very excited!  We would love to do this!  

They have invited Lauren and I (and Annie and Lincoln) to come down to visit at the beginning of April.  I would be teaching at a Middle School retreat for 2 days (3 sessions) and we would also have a few days to check out some places where most of the teachers live, look for possible housing, and just get a feel for what it would be like to live there.  

We have not made a decision yet about whether or not we will go in April, but it makes sense to take a "vision trip" to check things out and seek out confirmation from the Lord during our time there.  We need to make our decision and let them know about the April trip by this Friday (the 15th).  One huge obstacle is the cost.  The school can't pay for us to come down and flights are around $800/ticket, plus we would need to get Passports for Lauren and the kids (which we know we could get in 14 days or less).  The total cost would be a little over $2000.  

As we've been praying about this trip and seeking the Lord's will in the matter, I've had my doubts about whether or not we should go.  It seems like a lot of money to spend, just to go for a few days.  On the other hand, it would be extremely helpful for us to be able to do this.  Then, this morning I was reading in 2 Kings 4:1-7.  A woman loses her husband and the creditor is coming to take her 2 children to be his slaves.  She has nothing in her home but a jar of oil.  She brings the problem before Elisha and he instructs the woman to go to all her neighbors and borrow empty vessels from them.  She then begins to take the jar of oil that she has and fill all the empty vessels - a miracle from the Lord.  She was then able to sell the oil, pay off her debts and live with her children on the rest.  As I was thinking about this woman, going door to door and asking all her neighbors for these empty vessels, I wondered what the neighbors were thinking as they gave or lent these vessels to her.  I wonder because I often wonder what people think of me when I come before them with a need, asking them to help meet that need.  We don't know what her neighbors thought, but regardless, she had the faith to go and ask.  I feel that God is asking us to do a similar thing.    

While Lauren and I aren't worried about our children getting taken into slavery, we do have a need that I feel God wants us to bring before our neighbors, friends and family.  Many of you are monthly supporters of us already, and for that, we are so thankful!  We have tried to be faithful stewards of those gifts that have met our monthly needs to this day.  Our request now is that you would help us get to Colombia in April, so that we can see the place where (we hope) we will be serving for the next several years.  Would you be willing to give a special gift for this?  If so, you can make checks payable to LeaderTreks (for tax deduction purposes) or you could make them out to one (or both) of us.

Again, we need to give a response by Friday afternoon regarding whether or not we will come.  We will evaluate our financial situation Friday after the mail comes.  Thank you so much for your prayers and gifts ahead of time.  Lauren and I are so thankful for you all.  

For Him,

              

Robbie (and Lauren)

Love God With All Your Heart

So here's what I want to do with this.  Psalm 1 talks about the blessed man, that:

"His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night."  

That word "meditates" (according to the ESV Study Bible), describes "an active pondering, perhaps even muttering to oneself in pursuit of insight."  So I want to actively ponder the 2 commands on which the entire law hangs, and specifically, today, what it means to, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart."

Now, the heart is a hollow muscle that pumps blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions.  The heart is what keeps us alive.

As long as the heart is pumping, there is life.  

So to love the Lord your God with all your heart, means to love him with the very thing that keeps me alive.  And as I think about the muscle that keeps me alive, I think of how God is in fact, the one who sustains my life, the one who knows the number of my days, the one who formed my heart and gave me life and the one who will one day cause my heart to stop beating.  So to love God with my actual physical heart, is to remember that God is the giver and taker of life.  But there is more to this.

What does the rest of the Bible say about our heart?

In 1 Samuel 16:7, Samuel is getting ready to anoint the new king of Israel.  He's with this family and there are several young men who look the part, but one in particular.  His name was Eliab.  Samuel sees these young men, but when he looked at Eliab, Samuel thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed is before him."  Eliab was the oldest, and probably the biggest and the most mature looking of the bunch.  If a king had to be picked from this group, Samuel figured:

It would be this guy for sure.  

But God had a very interesting word for Samuel at that moment.  God told Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him."  Why?  Why reject a guy that totally looked the part?  Here's why:

"For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."  

Huh.  The heart.  His hollow muscle didn't pump blood rhythmically enough?

Did Eliab just have really high cholesterol?

What was it about Eliab's heart that God didn't like?  I'll come back to that.

Let's take a quick look at some other verses and see what we can learn about the heart.  These are just a selected few.  If you don't want to read all these, you can just skip to the bottom where I summarize:

Psalm 37:4 - "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 119:11 - "I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you."
Proverbs 27:19 - "As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man."
Isaiah 57:15 - "For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: 'I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite."
Jeremiah 17:9-10 - "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 'I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.'"
Ezekiel 36:26 - God says, "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.  And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a new heart of flesh."
Matthew 5:8 - "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
Acts 2:37 - Now when they heard this (the gospel) they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
 1 Corinthians 4:5 - Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart.  Then each one will receive his commendation from God.
Revelation 2:23 - "And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works."

So, back to Eliab and to wrap all this up.  Eliab was rejected because he didn't have the heart that God wanted.  He didn't love the Lord his God with his life.  There were other things more important in life than God for Eliab.  His confidence and identity were not in God.  How do I know this?  Because of 2 other passages.  The first is 1 Samuel 13:13-14.  Saul was king of Israel and he did not keep the command of God.  So Samuel comes up to him and says to Saul,

"You have done foolishly.  You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you.  For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.  But now your kingdom shall not continue.  The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you."  

The Lord rejects Saul for the same reason he rejects Eliab.  He wants a man after His own heart and that wasn't Eliab!  Look at Psalm 119:11 above.  A man after God's own heart strongly desires not to sin against God, and so he stores up the word of God in his heart.  Sin is a big deal to God.  And sin begins in the heart.

One more passage.  Right before the battle of David and Goliath.  David comes to the battle line and hears Goliath taunt and defy Israel.  David asks what will be done for the man who kills Goliath.  This is where we pick up:  

"Now Eliab [David's] eldest brother heard when [David] spoke to the men.  And Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, 'Why have you come down?  And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness?  I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.'" 

Eliab was a chump.  He lacked courage and conviction.  He accused the heart of his little brother, who was a man after God's own heart.  David loved the Lord his God with all his heart.  Saul and Eliab did not.  

So what does it mean to love the Lord your God with all your heart?   

It means that we need to delight ourselves in God, memorize His Word and remain pure.  The thing that keeps us physically alive is our heart, sustained by God.  The things that keeps us spiritually alive is our relationship with the one who gave us life...God.  So to love God with all your heart means to center your life on Him, place your confidence in Him, find your courage in Him, and know that He is in fact, your Lord, and your God.  He gives the orders in your life, and you follow those orders, no matter the cost.  Loving God with all your heart means that your life on this earth is totally His, and that you will do whatever He asks of you.  You delight in Him, and so it brings you great pleasure to do whatever he asks.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart.  

Jesus, the Scribe, and Our Frustrated Exhaustion

Have you ever been at that place in life where you feel tired, discouraged, uncertain of what the future holds, struggling to go forward with joy, mercy and love as your characterizing attributes?

I've been there

What I notice about those moments or seasons of life, is that there's always a reason.  I can try and re-charge my batteries in numerous ways.

As an introvert, I think that I just need some time alone to get that zeal for life back.
As an athlete, I think that I just need to exercise a little bit to get my energy up.
As a music lover, I  think that I need to play my guitar to get the creative juices flowing.
As a husband, I think that I need to spend some quality time alone with my wife.
As a father, I think that I need to spend some quality time with my kids to have fun just being silly.

On and on it goes...

But what I always tend to forget is that none of those things are my most important identity.  None of those things are the reason I was created.  None of those things will truly help unless I am seeking one thing in the midst of them.  

...

There's this passage in the Bible that is really fascinating.  Jesus is in the midst of these religious elitists (the Sadducees), speaking truth and making them look silly for holding the beliefs which they held.

Funny how Jesus never apologized for speaking offensive truth

As he's talking with these guys, a scholar or expert in the law (a scribe) overhears Jesus' conversation with them.  He hears how Jesus responds to them, and sees that Jesus "answered them well."  

He's come to this moment prepared with 1 question

Perhaps he wanted to see just how solid Jesus was. 

Maybe he wanted to show people that Jesus didn't know what he was talking about.

Maybe he had seen the attention that Jesus was getting and wanted to come flaunt his intellectual superiority. 

Nobody knows why

We don't know why this scholar did what he did, but he asks Jesus a question that, had this happened in today's age, would have been posted all over Facebook, tweeted and re-tweeted, been on the news, etc.  This was a BIG DEAL!  This guy stands toe to toe with Jesus, and asks him, 

"Which commandment is the most important of all?" 

I picture the surrounding area to come to a halt.  People stopped their side conversations.  Children that had been playing were immediately hushed.  Whatever had been going on that seemed important before, suddenly didn't seem important at all.  Everyone knew that the words which were about to be spoken would be worth telling and re-telling.  "The most important commandment of all?"  "Is he allowed to ask that?"  Is he allowed to answer that?"  "Is there a right answer?"

Jesus didn't hesitate

Speaking with confidence that made onlookers wonder if Jesus had written the commandments in the first place, Jesus answered with these words: 

"The most important is, 'Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no other commandment greater than these."

Wow

It sounds pretty straight forward right?  But what in the world does it mean to love God with your heart and with your soul?  What's the difference between our heart and soul?  And how do you love God with your mind and strength?  And what does he mean by ALL of these things?  He doesn't literally mean ALL does he?  This is just allegorical teaching right?  Oh, and how did the scribe respond?  Here's how:

"You are right, Teacher.  You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him.  And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."

The scribe approves of Jesus' answer.  And from the outside perspective, it seems as though the scribe has the upper hand.  He approved of Jesus' answer.  Like Jesus is the young pup and the scribe is the old dog.  There's this sense that the scribe is somehow trying to keep the upper hand.  But Jesus is the King.  Jesus is the Lord.  Jesus is God.

Jesus has the final word

Jesus sees that the scribe answered wisely and said to him,

"You are not far from the kingdom of God."

Jesus clearly saw some potential in this guy.  But then the writer of this story adds this little sentence at the end.  A little note to let all us readers in on what the feel in the room was, what resulted from this conversation, how people saw Jesus differently.  I love this little sentence.  We see the confidence and authority with which Jesus spoke in these words recorded by the narrator:

And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

The thought of challenging Jesus on any matter terrified everyone.  Jesus had ultimate authority, ultimate confidence, ultimate knowledge.  He even knew where people stood spiritually.  It was as if he knew the hearts, souls, minds and strength of people just by looking at them.  Wow.

Jesus was more than just a great teacher

...

So to tie this back into the exhausting, frustrating, discouraging moments of life, I wonder if this has anything to do with that?  Is Jesus telling us, loud and clear, what's lacking in our lives during those moments or seasons?  Is Jesus explaining why our efforts to refresh ourselves without him have been in vain? 

I think he is

In the following days, I'm going to dive into the 2 greatest commandments that Jesus mentions.  I want to find out what Jesus means when he tells us to love in this way.  I think there's a lot there that we're missing.  

I hope you take the ride with me and dive into these words of God with great expectation.  

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: