Day 1: Arriving in MN

I arrived in MN safe and sound (despite the fact that both planes had lots of turbulence). I met the other team mates that I will be working with. My team will have three girls and two boys.
We had a pizza dinner and played intense Uno (our game lasted at least twenty-five min.).

Count Down: 2 Days

Where is home?

Being a Christian, I have heard the phrase "we're not home yet." While I agree with what the phrase is saying, where would our "home away from home" be? While I am tempted to say "with my family" or "in my house" (both are true), that is not really the point of being "aliens and strangers" where we live. It does not mean that we won't or don't have a home down here (on Earth). Our homes on Earth are more like temporary living arrangements. It is like living in a tent. It is not something you would want to do forever, but it gets the job done. 

Aliens and Strangers

First let me define what I don't mean by "home." Home is not the building that you live in. To keep is simple I'll call that a house. House=building. Families move, but they still live in a home.

I also don't mean a place. Like "the mountains feel like home to me" is not what I am getting at. 

We are called to live as aliens and strangers. That means that we live our lives (according to the Bible) and because we follow the Bible, our actions will stand out. People who don't belong stand out. Let's say you see a picture. this picture is black except for a single green dot. What do you notice first? While you take in the black background, your eyes are drawn to the green dot because it stands out. In the same way a Christian's actions are to stand out against the world. 

Christians don't fit the world's idea of normal. They don't meet the status quot. However you want to say it, there is something that separates Christians from the rest of the world.

Re: Home?

So, if out home is not a building, or a place we live, where is it? Our home is with other believers. When I am in a group of believers, I get this feeling of wholeness. This thought of, this is where I am meant to be. Most people would call it contentedness. I think of it more along the lines of true freedom. When I am in a group of people following God, I can be who I am because they will love me no matter what. They will spur me on to be better that I thought I could be. They will be happy when something good has happened to me, and sad when something bad has happened. 

Each person might have a different race, gender, interest, or background, but we are all united by one thing: Jesus on the cross. 

Church Shooting

This week there was a shooting at a historic black church. When the shooter was caught he said his goal was to start a civil war between whites and blacks. Rather than causing racial tensions to become even more strenuous, it has had the opposite effect. It has united the black communities and the white communities. 

Nothing was more powerful than the picture I saw on TV. In a nearby church, a service was being held in honor of those who died. The entire church was full. Every seat was full. People were crammed in to every isle. It was like a massive sea of faces, half of them black, and half of them white. But in that church I noticed one thing even more--a group of true believers praying for a community, who, thorough tragedy, was slowly being healed. 

Count Down: 8 Days

"Christianity 13" was written by Mark Reid (ZthePhoenix) in a app (for D.S.) called Flipnote. Flip note was accessible by most countries and was a site where people could publish animations or messages. This was one of many Flipnotes to help Christians and Non-Christians through out the world. I hope it changes your life as much as it changed mine. 

Christianity 13

What is a Christian?

Many people going to church on Sunday makes then a Christian.

Others assume that they are Christian because their family is Christian.

Or because they say grace before they eat.

Or maybe they know the Ten Commandments, and can even recite the books of the Bible.

Sorry to say but that stuff doesn’t make you a Christian.

That’s like calling yourself a good person just because you give to charity.

A criminal can give to charity.

Being a Christian is so much more that going to church or being a good.

“The Lord does not look at the things man look at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” I Samuel 16:7

You can’t fool God.

Yet, that is what many of us think we’re doing.

We pretend, day in and day out, hiding behind what we think is a ‘Christian’ mask.

You wanna know what a real Christian is?

A follower of Jesus Christ.

“Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:33

Jesus said that.

He has already looked at you heart. He knows who’s real and who isn’t.

Today’s ‘Christians’ value this world and things that they have more that salvation.

They’d rather watch T.V. that go tell someone, “Hey Jesus loves you and wants to save you.”

“Hey, I go to Church on Sunday!” Okay, what did you do for that rest of the week?

“Well I would give up anything for Jesus!” No. You wouldn’t.

How do I know? Because you said ‘I would.’

Jesus didn’t ask if you would or not.

He said, “Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”

If you said ‘would’ then that means you haven’t yet.

We tend to put Jesus on a waiting list. We want to get all of our fun in first.

Then maaaybe on your deathbed you’ll call on Jesus.

You may not even get a deathbed.

More and more people these days, especially teens, are instantly cut off from this life.

They don’t get a chance to utter that final prayer.

You could pray right now. But hey, it’s your choice not mine.

I thought I was a Christian before. I just wanted to go to heaven.

The idea of knowing God had never crossed my mind.

But when I said “Jesus, my life and everything in it is yours….”

That’s when I crossed the border between fake and real.

I didn’t even know that I could know God until then.

People think being saved is all about going to heaven.

If you are truly saved, you’ll go to heaven, but the most important part of salvation is knowing God.

Nothing even compares to this.

When you know Him, it won’t matter to you when someone tells you ‘God’s not real.’

When you know Him, you do everything in your power to accomplish his will.

You sacrifice time. You sacrifice money. And even Talents and gifts to do his will.

All because you love him.

Because from the moment you begin to know God, you’ll understand what love really is.

This is something you can only understand by experiencing it yourself. I can’t make you know God.

I can’t reveal Him to you. You have to search for Him.

God says you’ll find him if you search with all our heart.

He’s not hiding from us.

We are hiding from Him.

We bury ourselves in the cares and worries of this world, just to keep our minds busy.

That way, we won’t have to ponder, “Why am I here?”

That is what our minds are programed to wonder.

We were made with that question embedded in our minds, so that we would look for the answer.

So, what is the answer to all of this?

God says, “I AM.”

May the Lord bless all who read this.

Count Down: 13 Days

Are all Christians Called to Missions?

            I have often heard that the answer to this question is yes, but with some qualifiers. They say that all Christians should be “Mission Focused.” While I agree, being “mission focused” and being a missionary are completely different.

The Call to Missions

            Only some Christians are called to Missions. They have to be willing to leave everything behind in order to spread the Gospel. They have to be able to travel and use skills they have for missions. Missionaries are called to “go and tell.” The rest of the Church is to be “come and see.”

“Come and See”

            Those Christians who are not called to missions still have an important job to do in the Church. If you are not involved with your Church, you’re not doing it right. “Missionaries plant churches. Most Christians are the Church (Gospel Meditations for Missions).”  So, if the vast majority of Christians, what must the church do?

Support Missionaries

            If the Church does not support missionaries, how can the (universal) Church grow? People in the Church are called to (1) live like Christ and (2) be prepared to share their faith. That is all that is talked about in the Bible. However, growth is paramount for the Church.

Welcome new believers

            The Church must welcome new believers, regardless of their background. If the Church does not welcome people, who would want to be saved? This is bigger than you might think. I know many people who quit going to Church because they felt outcast there. They thought “If God’s people don’t want me, then God does not want me.” As the Church you are literally to represent God on earth. 

What is anime and manga?

When people think of Japan, they often think of anime, manga, and all games Nintendo. However, what is thing called anime? Why do people watch it? Is it good or bad? What should the Christian stand-point be? I will strive to talk about this topic, explain what it is, and how Christians should view it.

Anime

"Anime" is short for animation, but in North America usually refers only to Japanese animation. Anime is not a genre, but a type of media. Like TV shows with actors, there are many genres within anime. You can have a romance anime, or a sci-fi anime. Because of this, almost everyone can find something they enjoy. 

The Good

Anime comes in all different styles and genres, so everyone can find something they like. Anime also appeals to many different age ranges. Some are meant for ten-year-olds, while others are meant only for mature audiences. Some are fun and playful, while others are serious . Anime truly has something for everyone. 

One thing I personally like about anime is the "special effects" (ex. explosions) don't look out of place or low budget. If you can imagine it, and you can draw it, it can be in a show. Many shows have characters or settings that are just not possible to do with real actors or sets. One show takes place on a planet similar to the Wild West, but has three suns and seven moons. Another show has the characters use magic that is just not possible for Hollywood studios yet. Also, anime is cheaper to make than live action shows, so you often get more bang for your buck. 

The Bad

Because it is so diverse, there are many bad shows (often called "hentai" or dirty) that give anime a bad name. Like any other form of media, you have to preview what you watch before you watch it. Just like America TV, some shows are good, whereas others are not. Once Upon A Time is a good show to watch as a family, Game of Thrones is not. Viewer discretion is advised for anime and for life.
Another reason that I have heard not to watch anime is because of the lack of Christian anime makes. Well, Japan is less than 1% Christian, and many (as in most) American script writers are not Christian or do not write about Christianity. Saying you can't support something because the country it comes from is not predominately Christian is foolish. Last time I checked, China is not predominately Christian, but most stuff in America comes from China.
What I am trying to say is: Truth is truth no matter where it comes from. Good is good, no matter where it comes from.

Manga

"Manga" (Mon-gah) is the Japanese name for comics. Unlike American comics, manga is read from right to left because Japanese is read from right to left. Sometimes manga is flipped to be read "the American way," but is most often left in the original format. Many animes (like Naruto) are biased off of a manga/comic that came first.

The Good

Like anime, manga has something for everyone. One of my friends likes romance manga. I like action manga. If you like it, you can find it (almost, but more about that later). 

Manga is often easier to read than anime. Read anime? Why would you read a show? Many anime are "subbed" (subtitled in English, but the audio is Japanese) and are often hard to understand because of how fast the subtitles need to be read. Manga, on the other hand, allows you to take as much time with each page as you need. 

The Bad

The number one thing that disappoints me about manga is the fact that there are few super-hero mangas. Americans comics are almost exclusively super-hero, but mangas are rarely like that. 

Again, just like with anime, you have to be careful what you read. 

 

Count Down: 14 Days

I leave for Japan in two weeks. Before I go to Japan, I will be in MN for two days for training. So, really, I will be leaving Wichita in two weeks. I am going to try and post every day about something that God has been teaching me. We'll see how this works.

Today I am going to post something from the devotion book that I have been reading to prepare for my trip.

From Gospel Meditations for Missions Day 9

Romans 8:28

            And we know God causes everything to work together for those who love Gad and are called according to his purpose.

            But [Paul’s] plans kept changing. There were obstacles. Like stonings. Team conflict. Traveling mobs. They know they would face persecution, but never know when, or where, or what, or from whom.

            …But we misuse the text (Romans 8:28) as a cliché: Whenever someone loses a job, or has a finder bender, several church members are bound to quip, ‘All things work together.’… That all may be true, but it’s not the point of the verse.

            Let’s not cheapen Romans 8:28 by confining it to the temporal or making it all about us. God is at work in all things to conform us to the image of His son (Romans 8:29).  This inner transformation demands missional outflow, seeing that we are conforming to the One who is constantly seeking the lost.  Paul’s interpretation of ‘all things work together for good’ was not some vague hope of a better situations in the future, nor a passive acknowledgement that someday he might understand the sovereign patchwork….but Paul focused and acted upon one explanation of which he was certain: God sends the saved people to the lost people, and He wants them to preach the Gospel….

            Paul shows us how to see and seize opportunities with confidence in God’s control over events—not for a nebulous ‘good,’ but for the specific good of Gospel advance. It’s like getting new eyes to see the Gospel designs in our seasons of pain or frustration. In the middle of your affliction, with whom can you share Christ?  

The ‘good’ God promises may be a lower paying job with a lost coworker that has been ripening for harvest. A Cornelius. An Ethiopian eunuch. A woman at the well. What if God is choosing you as his messenger, right now, right here?  Your hardship is for God’s glory. And for the coworker’s good. And, if you love God, for your good, too.

…He loves unfurling His glorious Gospel. Because God is ordering your steps, because He is on a grand campaign to draw people to Himself, and because he wants you to proclaim the Gospel, therefore, you can safely assume that the weird, painful, or frustrating things that just happened must certainly have something to do with the Gospel expansion….

God’s yellow pad is smarter than yours. Detours provide new networks to spread the message of eternal joy. For Gospel-centered, God-loving people, what could be better? 

Fundraising Update 3: Fundraising Complete

I have made my goal of raising all the money that I needed to go on this trip! I can't thank you enough for all your support.

Several things happen when preparing for a mission trip. Excitement for what is to come, panic because you are now questioning why you agreed to go. Fear that you will for get something you need, among many other emotions. But one thing unique about mission trips is the heart preparation. While I am on this trip, I will be reading several books. The first one is one that I have already started called Gospel Meditations for Missions.  Despite the high level of vocabulary used (who uses "addendum"?), it has been very good.
We will also be reading The Fuel and the Flame and Live Like You Mean It.