Political Elephant

We're running a series called "the elephant in the church", using the old aphorism to talk about things churches don't often talk about.

This week will be a hot topic for discussion here in DC: the political elephant. With the election less than a week away, the timing couldn't be better.

Many Christians consider themselves republican because of the justifiable position on protecting the unborn and maintaining traditional moral values. Depending on who you talk to, the pendulum has begun to swing as many young Christians are voting Democrat because of their justifiable personal stake in challenging our country, the most prosperous in the world, to lead the charge on global issues such as poverty, energy, and environmental sustainability.

Cameron Strang (editor of Relevant Magazine) wrote a pretty good article on politics and faith. Here's what he said:

"The Bible reminds us to pray for our leaders, but it also talks about praying for those who persecute us. Though I can’t foresee any situation where this would be the case, what if one day every value Christians stand for, even religious freedom itself, was legislatively removed? Christians in China and many other parts of the world face this reality every day. Would it change us?

Dare I say, it might actually spur the Body of Christ here into greater action. Could it be that the loss of religious freedoms would ultimately be the best thing for American Christians because it would cause us to stand on our own feet rather than relying on the government to legislate our faith and values for us?

I’ve heard that only 5 percent of people who attend church regularly actually serve in any way. I’ve read that if every Christian in America actually tithed 10 percent of their income, we would have enough financial resources to wipe out global poverty.

There’s more power lying dormant in pews around the nation than any government could hope to provide, and that’s where our focus should be.

Many Christians want to overturn Roe v. Wade, but I don’t hear nearly as many leading the charge on a national adoption movement. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, where are all of those babies going to end up? Christians should be focused on personal action regardless of legislation, not just waiting for the right number of Supreme Court justices to come along."

I'm not even going to share who I'll vote for though I do have my personal convictions. All I gotta say is vote, but we can't use government as an excuse for inaction on our part.

the wheels are turning,

literally.

I've had new inspiration to bike......everywhere.

Saving on gas, getting exercise, and I get to blow past cars stopped at red lights every 20 yards.

Perhaps its the European walk, bike or bus everywhere mentality that has gotten to me.

Sabbath

Taking a Sabbath today, though I guess typing a blogpost constitutes work, ooops. From sickness this past month, to transition, to the trip, to now, we're both pretty tired and decided to take a day to relax together.

Sabbath is a gift, a day in the week where we don't produce, to show our worth comes not from how much we produce but for who we are in God, nothing less, nothing more.

It's tough though, usually by the afternoon, I'm going crazy because our bodies are physiologically no longer wired to sit still and avoid the thought of doing/producing something because that is how we've been trained to evaluate our worth.

We're going to read a book and enjoy the new fireplace!

TGIF

3

Had Ethiopian food for dinner then walked the monuments. Lovin' the fall weather. Lovin' the time spent with Kate.

I'm more in love with my wife than ever before. Believing I can honestly say that every anniversary.

24 hours, 23 minutes

It takes the fun out of travel when you have a slipped disc and rotated vertebrae in your lower back.

When I'm 38,000 miles in the air, my mind thinks at the 38,000 mile level. I was so challenged to dream big on this trip. So good to read a few books during the flight (Heschel's "Man's Quest for God" which is a study on prayer and symbolism. HIGHLY recommend this book for challenging your prayer life. Also read "Just Courage" by Gary Haugen who is the Director of the International Justice Mission which was a great read on social justice issues from a biblical perspective).

Cried several times during the flight. I have the capacity to get emotional, but it doesn't happen often. I was really broken on this trip. I'm anticipating the challenge of communicating what we saw firsthand to people back home. It's good to have taken so much video and photography. Excited to focus on that for the remainder of the week for the weekend services.

Before the trip, prayed I would expect the unexpected. That was an understatement.

prostitutes, customers and KFC

Jesus didn't distinguish between people, he loved them all unconditionally. That's what happens at The Well. Last night, Cori and I (you walk and talk in boy/girl pairs) invited a girl we'd been connecting with every night to The Well for dinner and a going away party. She said she'd come. This is how shallow my faith is often times, because I didn't think she'd actually come.

Well she did. Not only that, some other team members had invited a girl out and called her on the way to The Well. She answered her phone and said she was actually with a "customer" at the moment, didn't know how long she would be but may come along.

Not only was it a bit uncomfortable to hear that she was in that situation at that exact moment, but moments later she called and asked if she could bring her "customer" along with her! Crazy! There was a little hesitation from the team member at first, but I threw it out there right away, "bring him along!" So you've got a few prostitutes, a customer, and a bunch of girls from The Well hanging out, eating KFC, and singing songs about Jesus.

This is real, raw stuff. This is straight out of John 4.

God is on the move.

single step away on either side

I don't usually write long posts, in fact I've gotten good at being brief. I've tried to keep it real brief, but this one requires a little more depth:

One of the most powerful aspects of this trip which has been somewhat incomparable to any other experience has been seeing both sides of these women's lives.

Each morning and afternoon, we have spent time with women who have recently gotten out of the sex trade, been transformed through Christ's love, and are actively seeking a renewed lifestyle and participating in a new family. It really is just that, a family of girls that are living and breathing the Gospel and complete life change.

This translates in practical ways: learning english, developing a business that sells a number of products overseas which then goes towards improving facilities and growing the organization; counseling (this is so important as they work through some complex social and personal issues), and discipleship. These women exude joy beyond what these rather empty words can conjure up. Can't describe it, they are just overwhelmingly at peace with a God who loves them for who they are and not for what they produce or sell.

In the evenings and late into the night, we'd go to these red light district, which again unlike anything I've ever experienced. I gotta be honest, I didn't know what to expect with the assumption that we could go down and build relationships with women in the sex trade, but we really did. Our team has amazing stories of what has happened through simple conversations of show love and appreciation for who they are.

I'm tearing up just thinking of some of them as I write this. They're not your stereotypical girl you'd imagine in the industry. They're sweet, adorable girls who don't like what they do (a high percentage and don't let people tell you otherwise), but get stuck or forced into it. It seems ludicrous, but when you actually start hearing these stories directly from the women, you begin to really empathize with how they've arrived at what they do.

What began to happen after a few nights was I began to see the girls at The Well in these women. I saw something they couldn't see for themselves: incredible potential. It wiped away barriers and fears I had for doing something like this and really opened up to a new side of me.

The reality is, these women on either side of the isle are a single step away from doing the inverse. The women at The Well could and have in the past gone back into the scene. Sex slaves have become former sex slaves and been redeemed. The line between these choices is often times minuscule and it can very much take someone to step out and challenge another to take a step forward in their personal journey....get out, be better than that and start living with the potential God has for you.

So awesome to see what is happening here.

stories

We understand scripture best through story. Linear, rational models of thinking were simply not the way God wanted to reveal himself to us. The brilliance of this is obviously noted for reasons beyond the capacity of this post. Suffice it to say, part of why I love missions trips are the stories you get to hear, not only that God is on the move all over, but from members of your team. It's a microcosm of God's redemptive story evidenced in scripture and incarnated in each one of us. The stories bring a deeper level of humanity and connectedness to God's plan and how we're woven into something far greater than ourselves.

Man, just writing that gets me excited.

I've been on a number of trips, but haven't quite experienced this level of honesty in the sharing of testimonies. It has rocked this team. Lots of tears have been shed.

A number of team members gave up final vacation days to go on this which obviously speaks volumes of who they are. Beyond that, not sure I can think of a better way to "get away" than to experience deeper connections to others who seeking to know of who Christ is and what He means for our daily lives.

Just gotta say that I love this team. Feel a strong sense of togetherness and community tonight.

go.

Put this together quick while still being and working in Thailand. It's been one of the most mind-blowing experiences I've ever had. We've seen some pretty incredible things. Never imagined I'd be ministering to prostitutes. 3 girls came with our team to church today and we had them out for lunch. So many cool stories of connecting with and loving these women as Christ loves them, unconditionally.

togetherness

Loving the opportunity to hang with my cousin on this trip....always laughing.

margin of influence

Felt like last night was a vivid portrayal of stepping beyond our margin of influence. It’s immersing oneself in what it means to be guided by the spirit. No gimmicks, no hiding behind our gifting, this is a place that forces one to trust in God’s leading, fully. It’s taking spiritual discernment to a whole other level.
On the surface level, some if not most can walk through and feel disgusted by images of 45-year old men with wedding bands sitting with three women as they have their arms around him. Or, a girl who couldn’t be older than 13 being led down the street by an old man. I want to punch these guys in the face and show these girls the love of Christ.

But, as Jim shared with us, there is a spiritual element to all this that is much deeper than the issue itself.

Central to being a Christian is this awareness that the world is wounded, and though governments and organizations can be a place where people come together to improve social needs, build social trust, transform broken lives and more importantly broken societies, without spiritual renewal, there will always remain a level of emptiness in all the efforts.

I came here focused on the appeal of the issue, it's becoming apparent I’m going to leave with something far deeper than that.

women at the Well

Not really sure I have the words right now to what I'm feeling about our experience last night. I guess that enables me more than ever to refer to scripture.

The passage in the book of John chapter 4 takes on a whole new meaning. Jesus stops to rest at Jacob's well outside a town in Samaria. What takes place is an unlikely exchange with a women whom we discover is "damaged goods", having had five husbands and living with a man who was not currently her husband. Jesus offers this women "living water" that will allow her to never thirst again, which sets in motion this story of transformation in her life.

Jim Larson is living this passage. God has called him in the deepest sense to bring the abundance of Christ's love to these women who sell themselves night in and night out. He said most of these women work 12-hour shifts and have 1 or 2 days off a month! Amazing things are happening though, really, truly. Women are being transformed. There facility, where we'll be tomorrow, is actually too full now.

The scene is like nothing I've seen before, with women lined up at each different bar waiting to be had. I spent a good portion capturing the scene the best I could, though had to fight back tears as I saw these men degrade these women to the lowest common denominator.

I think the entire team is in a state of shock to be honest. I'm not even sure where to direct my prayers right now, except that this issue became a reality to me this evening. It was amazing to see Jim and how many of these women he knew. Even that night, he sat and talked with a girl who was really wanting out and he was offering her the chance to be free from all this.

This time we'll have will be proof that our influence has reached the margins and it's the spirit that has to take over for any real possibility of change in any of these women.

We're not naive enough to assume that 11 americans can do a whole lot of good in our short time, but we're not naive enough to assume that the Lord is capable of using us in incredible ways. We're at the bars every evening for the next few nights. Jim has asked us to walk in pairs, guy and girl, and just begin meeting with these girls, asking them questions, loving on them.

I loved what he said, "we're just here to love them, Jesus can do the rest."

expect the unexpected

That was a l o n g flight! Wow. 14 hours to Tokyo, then a 3-hour layover with another 6.5 hour flight to Thailand. I left from DC monday morning, we arrived wednesday am with the 11-hour time change. I don't know what time dimension I'm in right now.

After having spaghetti, rice and fish, and orange juice for breakfast at the hotel (I'm not sure if that's a Thai thing or not), we headed to The Well where we'll spend a good portion of our time.

Spent the morning teaching english to a few classes that they offer for the women. I love watching people step out of their comfort zone and begin seeing what God is capable of doing through them. Saw the team really step up right away and had a blast connecting with these women and young men.

Off to the bars for the night to do some prayer walking. Jim shared it's nothing you've ever seen before (this type of commercialization of women), so expecting the unexpected tonight.

We're off

On the flight heading to Thailand. 16 hour flight......ouch.

Excited. Expecting the unexpected on this trip.

Pray for safe travels.

Hawaii

Everyone boarded the flight and the announced, "ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our non-stop flight to Honolulu, Hawaii, the weather is 76and clear skies."

Everyone, at least for a brief moment, didn't care about having to be at work Monday morning in Washington. The airline screwed up and we were all meant to take a vacation.

A mean prank, he said was only joking.

I hope that really happens one day......

Catalyst

Haven't felt so personally and spiritually challenged like this in a really long time.

I'll post notes from speakers like jim Collins, seth godin, andy Stanley and craig groeshel.

Wow, gonna try to process and be as transparent as possible.

Off to eat with the entire staff, all 24 of us.

off to catalyst

heading to the catalyst conference with NCC staff, been anticipating this for a long time. Good teaching, and time with the team.

Also excited to see my sister in Atlanta, will be my first time to see my niece Elise.

our smoke break

Thousands all over will choose to stop what they're doing and go out for a quick smoke to relax and be out of the office. Our smoke break is better on the lungs....tossing bean bags.

I love working with a team who will randomly stop and toss some bags on the street outside the office.

When 2 pm roles around, you almost need a pick-me-up because I don't think anything has come out of my head that is creative or even thoughtful in the early afternoon.

a growth indicator

Sometimes, it's difficult to evaluate yourself in terms of personal change. I experienced visible proof this afternoon.

While at a pub watching the bears game this afternoon with a bunch of rowdy bears fans, I found myself spending a good portion of my time on craigslist via my iphone looking for SOFA'S!

Every so often, I'd get excited, not because of the game, but because just maybe I'd found the perfect couch for our living room.

Wow, time for some realignment.

another wasted season

I tried to calculate the number of hours I spent faithfully watching my cubs this past year. I was abroad of course, so I watched a majority of them into the early hours of the morning.

They won 97 games, a franchise record. This was their 100th year since winning the world series. They had the best record in the national league.

This was supposed to be their year. This was destiny.

To watch them lose 3 straight in the first round and only leading for 2 out of 27 innings has blown me away.

I can't believe how much a sport can effect you.

Bottom line is this: next year could be our year:)