Thoughts and Passions Collide

moved

2011-06-08T22:54:00.004-05:00

I have tempararily moved to try out wordpress.
Check out
http://jlangfield.wordpress.com/

How Rich?

2011-02-27T15:23:00.003-06:00

There has been a lot going on in my mind over the past month and as I have meditated on these verses the past week I have really have had this internal passion reaching out from within and I don't know what to do or how to explain it.

5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?
James 2:5-7

I have been to another country in where the faiths of those Christians I have come in contact with have blown me away. The depth of their relationship with their savior far surpassed mine and in fact at times left me feeling like I was the one lacking. Yet when I read these verses I am led to blogs I have read previously this week. See them here.

http://aidwatchers.com/2011/02/in-zambia-pittsburgh-won/
http://aidwatchers.com/2011/02/world-vision-responds-to-blogger-questions/

See a lot of people here are ripping on World Vision for sending these shirts to Zambia, but my struggle is not really about sending the shirts and if it is really right in the economics and all the others here. Instead it is with why do we even have all these excess shirts in the first place. It is our culture that is creating this but hardly anyone is talking about that fact. We need a shirt that says congrats Champs Packers or Steelers within 5 seconds of the end of the game? This confuses me beyond belief. Now I am not picking on this situation alone and I am just as guilty as the next. Why? Well, I buy rotisserie chicken once and a while and now that I know more I feel this is just as bad. This may seem like a stretch but let me explain.

A couple of weeks ago while in a local grocery store I saw 24 Rotisserie chickens going straight to the garbage can at 4:30pm. I couldn't believe my eyes. These chickens have a shelf life and I understand that there maybe some health risks but really 24 chickens, with all the people in the world that can't put a meal on the table I just watched at a minimum 24 meals going straight to the dump. The numbers get even worse if you take that and multiply that by the number of stores in the local area. Lets just say 50 stores at 20 chickens that is over 100 meals wasted in just a part of one day. The numbers are staggering.

I struggle that it as my need for an instant gratification (a meal in this case) is so great. Just because I am rich in the terms of this world I can afford to go and buy a champion t-shirt the next morning or a Chicken that I can drive home and put on my table fully cooked to eat that very moment. While others can't even afford to buy a meal for their table or a shirt for their back. Can this be the exploitation of the poor? Now this maybe a stretch, but I am just using this to put a little thought into the way I live my life from day to day as I definitely have a lot of growing to do in my life.

Wisdom and Tact

2010-12-14T11:00:00.004-06:00

I think wisdom and tact is something that I can always use more of in life. As the pressure turns up, passion increases, stress unfolds these two seem to often go by the wayside. See as I am learning more and more about myself these are definitely things I can work on. Instead of getting all worked up with life and letting my passion, frustration or others take flight immediately. I can step back take a deep breath and reevaluate the entire situation. See I used to laugh when I would see people as I would call it "shoot from the hip" my term for random knee jerk reactions. Yet as I am learning about myself I actually do this more than I could have imagined. I just do it in a different area of life and a little different way.
As I read Dan. 2 this morning it was a great reminder for my life.

14. When Arioch, the commander of the king's guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. 15. He asked the king's officer, "Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?" Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. 16. At this Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.

See Daniel didn't jump to defense, get all fired up, anxious or any other of the many things he could have done. Instead he spoke with "wisdom and tact" as he tried to understand the situation and then calmly went before the king and asked for time. Time, What a wise request. I guess I would have probably begged for more time also but what he did next I think is key. I couldn't imagine what I would do when faced with imminent death but when Daniel asked for time he then went to his friends to explain the situation and ask for prayer. He didn't face it alone he wanted the support of his friends in his community and the wisdom that only the Lord could grant.
Today this was just a great reminder for me to slow down, seek counsel, be patient and know that the wisdom that our Lord can grant is far surpassing any that I can ever come up with. I don't need to be hasty, harsh or urgent as that of King Nebuchadnezzar. Whom I think I am more apt these days to represent then Daniel. This is definitely a path that I don't want to continue down as don't want to become an animal grazing on all fours as he did as he kept down his path of destruction and didn't change his ways.
Change the only thing that is really constant in life.

The Boy that Touched my Heart

2010-05-19T19:35:00.004-05:00

He touched my heart and that is an understatement. Gamachu at maybe age four had gained the nickname High Fiver before we actually knew his name but the impact he made on me in 2008 and in 2010 will leave a mark on my heart that will never go away. A kid that lined up to give everyone on the team five as we came and went to the job site became a joy in my life. Just looking back to 2008 when this tradition that seemed normal custom to us here in the US was started with a young boy thousands of miles away. You know though the biggest thing is that I pray he gains a relationship with our Lord and that I will one day see him again in Heaven one day. There is no garuntee that I will ever see him again although I would go back to Ethiopia just for that reason. A boy with so little in material things, but with so much joy in life and just interacting with us. See what makes this relationship even more important to me is that his father pictured here worked on our job site hauling water in those yellow barrels each day in 2010 but also he and his wife also worked on the site in 2008. See his father is a muslim but yet he is working on a job site that is winning kids, parents, and others around the rural area for the Lord. So I pray that it is only a matter of time that these relationships formed can lead to him also becoming a follower of Christ.

"What if His people PRAYED?"

2010-01-16T12:00:00.003-06:00

Prayer has been something that has been put on my heart over the last month or so and I don’t really know why but I have been thinking a lot about it and then here comes everything with Haiti. I have friends that have been there multiple times, people I know are currently down there and many others sponsor children there through Compassion or World Vision. I need to be in prayer.

Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, 16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.
Ephesians 1:15-17

As I read this there are things that have stuck out to me now more than ever. See in verse 16 Paul states “ I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly”. Now I have been asking myself what do I really ever do constantly or nonstop. Because really that is what he is doing and being such a great man of God I have a lot I could learn from him and really should learn from him. Yet the only thing I seem to do constantly is to go, go and go or even think of what I should be doing now or could be doing next. Yet this theme that I have seemed to miss or has not challenged me before is all over the Bible.

As, I look forward to what is ahead I want to look at prayer as something that I do constantly and nonstop especially considering all that is going on in the world today I have to be spending time with Him constantly with no excuses getting in my way.

Prayer

2009-12-19T12:20:00.003-06:00

Here is a letter that I have to give a lot of credit to my wife for the writing and organization.
As a team we are planning on putting together a map of where people our praying for us. So in doing that if you read this and will commit to praying for our team please leave a comment with your city and state. We will then add a dot to our map so we can see all over the world where people are praying for us.

"It seems like just yesterday when our church sent a team to Ethiopia, Africa on a Missions trip. I can’t believe it has almost been two years already. The Lord has done such an incredible work since we were there.

It is typical in Ethiopia for 12-14% of students who take the entrance exam for the university, actually pass and are accepted for enrollment. However, in this particular region, the projects we’ve been working with have beaten the national statistic. In the last two years, approximately 75% of the students who have taken the same test have passed and have begun their university studies. This is exciting because through the development of these hostels, these students have been able to receive a rounded education, which has provided increased opportunity for them to create a better future for their communities. In addition to the hope these students have found in Christ through their education, they are sharing the same message of hope in Christ around their campuses. They are reaching others throughout Ethiopia. There are over 16 churches, which have been started in rural areas by these students with over 350 people attending each week.

The hostel program has been well received in these communities, that two buildings have been converted for use with elementary aged girls. Currently, there are 24 young girls who attend classes on a regular basis. However, there is a need for a high school girls hostel in Ethiopia. There are currently 12-15 girls living in a rented building near the high school boys hostel.

My wife & I have the joy of traveling together to Ethiopia to serve alongside of our partners there as we build a hostel for high school girls. We are excited to go and encourage other believers who are on fire for the Lord as we help them build this hostel.

We are inviting you to be part of this mission with us. Our desire is to enlist as many of our family and friends as possible to faithfully pray with us as we prepare, as we serve, and upon our return. "

A Story

2009-12-19T12:18:00.000-06:00

I have now read two amazing books that deal with life as a story. The first one I read some time back it was Epic by John Eldredge the rest of the front cover reads “The story God is telling and the role that is yours to play”. I never really looked at it that way but this book really got me thinking. Really it is truly His story and I should find it a pleasure to be allowed to play a role in that story. It is kind of like getting picked in a school play. Really every role is important even if it is a tree, or some other background character. Now I will never be that lead role in this Epic story of Christ but there is only one person that can play that role and it isn’t you or I, but really how do I make my role in that story be as significant as possible. How can I allow Christ to work in my life so that I will allow Him to make a difference while using me?

This leads me to the second book. Which has boggled my mind and caused me to think totally differently these past couple of months. Written by Don Miller the author of “Blue like Jazz” it is titled “A million Miles in a Thousand Years” which is rated as a top 20 book by Relevant Magazine for 2009 and it was only out for a couple months. Check it out http://www.relevantmagazine.com/culture/books/features/19434-relevants-best-books-of-2009

Now this book talks all about the story that we are writing in our life. He talks about 2 parts of an Epic story being that the thing a character wants must be hard to attain and that the ambition had to be sacrificial. This makes me think about what in my life is actually hard to attain or am I just going along in life at a cruising speed. I think at first glance I don’t want to be sacrificial about anything, but is that what a relationship with Christ is really about?

As I prepared to move and get married I realized I really hadn’t sacrificed much in my life. Why? Well I look at the things that surrounded me and they just kept piling up. I had so much stuff. I had things for general camping, things for back packing, playing paintball, remote control vehicles, fishing, snowboarding, photography, multiple different sports, and the list could go on. Now really this list is huge when I think about it and did I really sacrifice anything here? Was it really hard to obtain? I don’t think so, I think it all came second nature. If I needed (wanted it) I went and got it. So my challenge to myself has been to be sacrificial in my life as I got married and go forward in my daily relationship with Christ. I want to live to allow the Lord to use me in His Epic Story that led to the ultimate sacrifice.

Am I Crazy

2009-09-05T10:18:00.001-05:00

I have recently taken a liking to audio books on my long commute from Shoreview to Burnsville and the one I started with is Crazy Love by Francis Chan. He has some amazing views that challenge the way I look at life. Challenge my thoughts, who I am and how I am living my life for Christ. Scary to think that I may just glaze over so many portions of the bible instead of really digging into them and getting more out of them.

One of the things that challenged me to think lately is something he said about two types of people. The “naturally joyful” and the “natural worriers”. Now he went on to say that deep down the natural worries don’t trust God that we don’t believe we can trust God with our everyday things, that just because I have so much going on in my life I feel I am exempt from laying all my things down at the feet of the God who created the entire world. He gave some amazing numbers and information through out his book that just challenged me to think about how truly amazing my God is yet I still worry?!?!? Not sure how I feel about the times I worry when I listened to this portion of the book. I guess you could say it kind of hurt but was good at the same time. I mean really I look at how blessed I really am; how much I have and where I have been in life. Do I really have any room or need to worry? He has taken care of me and provided me with so much can or do I really deserve to worry about anything if He is really truly in control of my life? If I have really given Him everything and taken up His yoke I have no reason to worry. This is just one challenge I have had from this book.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matt. 11:28-30

Now the “Naturally Joyful”. I look at the bible and it talks a lot about being joyful and I have heard people talk about living joyfully and that our joy should come from Him and that being joyful is a choose, but come on is this really easy? My thoughts are of course not. I always feel that is something that I can seem to complain about, stressed about or worry (oops) about. A search on the word joyful on www.biblegateway .com lead me to the verse below. Nothing is going right and he can complain that he has nothing yet he is remaining joyful. Hmmm sounds like it is choice I should have no matter what. Definitely a challenge for me in today’s world with increased unemployment, stocks, 401k and other things I may want to lay my trust in, in today’s world.

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.
Hab. 3:17-18

I Hate MONEY

2009-05-23T12:20:00.004-05:00

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. 1 Timothy6:10a

As of late I have been reading Ecclesiastes for my daily devotions and just thinking a lot about what makes our world tick. Who I really am and what the world then believes I should or need to have. The present state of the United States has really made me think about and evaluate these things.

Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind. Ecclesiastes 4:4

Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind. Ecclesiastes 6:9

I read these verses and it really made me sad. In a time when the economy is struggling and people are loosing their houses and times are tough we have car companies offering to pay my car payments if I loose my job? Is this supposed to be a security blanket? I guess I don’t fully understand as then in the end I would be out a car as I traded the one I had in or sold it. It is just another way they are trying to tempt me to buy a new car. So there I sit all because I thought I needed or wanted to “Keep up with the Joneses” carless. Sad but true our culture has a phrase for keeping up with others. Here is what wikipedia.org says about this phrase “"Keeping up with the Joneses" is a catchphrase in many parts of the English-speaking world referring to the comparison to one's neighbor as a benchmark for social caste or the accumulation of material goods. To fail to "keep up with the Joneses" is perceived as demonstrating socio-economic or cultural inferiority.” Inferiority? Really I mean will it ever end in our society?

I sat this morning and talked with a good friend and we talked briefly about this. How we would want something to remain cool or try to hold onto that. It is amazing to see the shift in our minds “I am not cool anymore” but that really doesn’t matter does it? In the sense of the kingdom of God cool means something totally different and it is that realization that means the world to me that I can sit with good friends and discuss how image, what we have and how we are perceived by what we have isn’t really what matters but instead serving Him in the ways of our lives is what is truly important to us. Because after all isn't that so much better than a "chasing after the wind"? I mean in the end atleast we know we will meet Him and not be endlessly chasing after something that we will never find or see?

Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth—except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers!
Ecclesiastes 5:10-11

This verse kind of makes me laugh as I think about the wedding planning going on in my life right now and talk to vendors and friends about the situation. I look at how many people want a take of the money we will spend on our special day. It is just crazy to think what people will charged for. Things that ring through my head are the charges for banquet rooms (at restaurants or places that serve food) for a reception I mean honestly? I quoted one guy on saying “We don’t charge a room rental fee because we don’t charge you for a seat in our restaurant do we?” How true is this? It really made me appreciate the approach of this place when it came down to it. Another thought is some places charge as much as $2.75 a piece of cake to cut and serve it. I mean really? It almost seems that society has come to the point that we want to take advantage of other peoples happiness if we can because when people are happy they will spend and do whatever they want to have things special or their way.

So I guess I never actually thought I would catch myself saying this, but one day while walking around my house this actually verbally came out of my mouth. “I hate MONEY” Now granted I was home alone and just doing a lot of thinking about life and society. Does that mean I am really living out what the bible says about money? Doubt it as I still think about a new car or a big screen TV or even a new camera lens but I guess I really don’t know. All I do know is I am working on it as it stirs within me……..

Brief Report on Borana

2009-05-23T10:38:00.002-05:00

This is a brief report from the Borana Region in Ethiopia. It was written by Dr. Samuel Kebreab an amazing man of the Lord with a passion to serve our Lord.

Introduction
The Borana evangelistic outreach has started on September 1998 by receiving 20 school children in the Didhara hostel. The ministry that has started with 20 children and one student’s hostel has now grown into a ministry that administers five students’ hostels accommodating 110 students. The Lord has blessed the ministry that now through the ongoing evangelistic and discipling ministry to the hostel students, their friends and parents for the last ten years, five hundred believers have come to know the Lord and had been discipled. These believers, led by the Borana students, meet in about twenty villages for worship and instruction from God’s Word. The other new thing that has happened in these last six months is that we have ordained and mobilized our first Boranan church planter. Berhane Wongel believing that the Borana are best reached by their own people was trying to raise up Borana ministers who could establish and lead Borana churches. This came into effect through deploying a young dedicated young man who had been discipled by our church planters and who had undergone a Bible School training. The other event which is going to take place after a month is the second and last phase of training of the 22 hostel students who are attending our Borana Bible Training Center , which runs during rainy season when school is closed. These third batch of students together with the first two batches make the number of those who undertook training for serving and leading the church to be 56. We are now realizing the importance of this training as we see that many of the trainees have become instrumental in the planting of many churches. A remarkable thing that has began to happen in these last 2 years is that from among the hostel students nine have joined colleges and universities studying such fields as law, engineering and education. We praise the Lord for this outcome as we see Him blessing our students with knowledge and wisdom and success in their schooling. Let alone joining universities, for many students it is a miracle to be finishing high school. For Jatene who has joined the Kotebe University in Addis it was becoming a history maker; for he was the first person ever to attend college from his district which has thirty large villages.

One of the hostel students, Jarso who is currently attending university
With this brief introduction, we continue the report on the activities that has taken place in each hostel center in the last six months is highlighted.
Didhara
At Didhara, on May 2, 2009 we celebrated a baptismal ceremony for fifty new believers. The thing that was exciting about the event was many of the believers came to the Lord through the witness of their children, the hostel students.

Hostel students Doyo and Konso baptizing new believers
For instance, the mother of Jatene, who is now attending college in Addis Ababa , came to the Lord when one of her daughters was delivered from a demonic bondage through the prayers of the students. Tura and Jarso were instrumental in bringing their close relatives to the Lord. These believers were baptized by the students who brought them to the Lord.

Tura’s and Jatene’s mother, newly baptized
The other important thing that is happening in the hostel of Didhara is that we were able to put a fence for the 90,000 square meters of land that has been granted to us by the local government with the intention to develop it so as to make the hostel work self-sustainable. We have now begun cattle fattening schemes and growing grains. To these new schemes will be added bee keeping and poultry farming.

Cattle fattening scheme
Dubluck and Higo
In Dubluck-Higo area are found three of our hostels: two for boys and one for girls. In this area we have more than ten village congregations that meet together. In a town by the name of Weib, which is twenty kilometers away from Higo, our evangelists were instrumental in bringing fifteen people to the Lord. This is a small but important for the Borana and the majority of people that live in this town are followers of Islam religion. Our evangelists are following the believers and we are in the process of discipling one of them believers so that he may lead the church that we have began to establish in this area.
Yabello
The Yabello hostel is now accommodating fifty boy students, attending high school, while seven girls are living in a rented house. The students meet daily for prayer and to study the Word of God. They also hold Sunday morning worship in the hostel in a more relevant way with organs and synthesizers to attract the town people and youngsters (just like Eagle Brook relevance seems to be important for them!). Many people from the town have come to Christ through their witnessing. They are planning to build a church building in a piece of land which a brother gave them as a gift. We are realizing the need of building another hostel for girls in Yabello as we expect the number to increase to be 12 in the coming school year as those in Dubluck pass to join high school grades.
Items of praises
1. Praise the Lord for the bountiful harvest as we see a steady growth in the spiritual life of the Borana believers and a steady and bountiful growth in the number that are coming to know Christ.
2. Praise the Lord for our students who have grown to become dedicated ministers, church planters and excellent Christian leaders for their people. And praise the Lord also for allowing them to grow strong in body and wise in spirit and for the grace of God to be among them (Luke 2:40).
3. Praise the Lord for giving us our national missionaries and their families who have dedicated their lives to coach and mentor the Borana hostel students. Despite many discouraging illnesses and other forms of obstacles the Lord help them to endure and prevail.
4. Praise the Lord for partners such as Eagle Brook Church who came alongside us since the beginning of the Borana evangelistic outreach ten years ago. In addition to their ever-growing involvement by coming to the field to minister alongside us, and their support in prayer and generous giving, we cannot forget that it is through their ministry in Didhara that a spiritual breakthrough happened in 2001, in which we saw the coming to Christ of more than 290 students from a student body of close to 300. The Lord is pleased to bless this partnership that our church has with EBC and to use it for the expansion of his kingdom.
Items of prayer
1. Pray that the Lord will help us to build girls’ hostel in Didhara which we feel is urgently needed.
2. Pray that the Lord will help us with funding. Because of the increase of food prices we were not able to use the hostel to fully accommodate to its maximum capacity of 170 students.
3. Pray that the Lord may help us to be self-sustainable so that the projects that we are have started would yield good outcomes.
In conclusion we would like to extend our appreciation for EBC leadership and Ethiopian missions committee for their unfailing support and love.
May God bless you
Pastor Fekadu Tadesse and Dr. Samuel Kebreab

Barbarian

2009-03-28T12:01:00.001-05:00

In Erwin McManus’s book Barbarian Way he tells a story of his son on the roof of their house asking if he could jump from two stories up. Of course he asked his dad as mom would say no and as expected she did. Dad said, go ahead just make sure you clear the cement. Now when I read this story I thought of my dad in some way. He let me learn on my own over the past years. Now it isn’t that he wouldn’t give me advice or point me in the right direction. He would do that, but always fall short of a clear answer. He would also try to stretch me in my life, which was good. I remember my decision to go into the army national guard. I don’t remember a clear path or him telling me what to do, but I do remember my mom not wanting me to do it and him being supportive of whatever decision I would make. That was all I really needed as my call to step out on my own. Erwin says later “Is it possible your father is also calling you to jump or at least encouraging you to do so? Is the Spirit of God stirring within you, pleading with you to stop settling for the status quo.” For me over the years there have been multiple times that I believe my Heavenly Father was calling me to jump. Now I wasn’t always excited for these jumps, but I guess you could say I did them anyway. As I look back over the past say 8+ years of my life, where I have come and gone. It only amazes me how I have changed and how these jumps have shaped my life.

I remember the reason my mom didn’t want me to go into the guards was fear of going to war or having to serve over seas. Now I am by no means one that takes a lot of risks and I was fine with that until I read this. “It is true that the enemy will essentially leave you alone if you are domesticated.” I pulled up domesticated on http://www.dictionary.com because I have always kind of taken it as a semi-negative word. Here is what it said “to tame (an animal), esp. by generations of breeding, to live in close association with human beings as a pet or work animal and usually creating a dependency so that the animal loses its ability to live in the wild”. I think I have more fear of becoming dependent or losing my ability to do something than I do of most anything. I want my faith to be strong and focused on who He is and what He has in store for my life.

I look back over the last three years or so and I have seen many people struggle in life. This whole domesticated quote makes me think. I have seen friends struggle with a wife having severe back problems in which she needed surgery, a miscarriage in a strong marriage, a man who’s two year old son has a battle with cancer, a women get multiple concussions, aneurisms and other health issues. All these just before the people were to leave or planning to go on a mission trip. There are even more that I know of second hand but these I have just heard of or seen first hand in the past couple years. It really makes me think hard on this whole domesticated statement. Are there times in my life that I become tamed/domesticated? Is my life easy because I am not living extremely for Him? That my faith has become weaker in which Satan may not worry about me as being a threat to his plan.

This doesn’t mean that I am going to live a crazy lifestyle jumping off of cliffs, sky diving, or bungee jumping, but that I want to focus more on stepping out of that comfort zone I think I may have put myself in far to often and have more faith. I have a great person in my life who once told me that I remind her of a Rhinosourus for their strength and stability. Well, I just found out that a group of Rhinos is called a Crash. Not a herd, but a crash. The reason behind this is that they can run 30mph but can only see 30 feet in front of them. Am I ready to run full speed a head without being able to see where I am going? Just running after Him in Faith………

Ethiopia

2009-03-07T11:48:00.002-06:00

It has been a while since I posted last but here is something that I have been working on and has been near to my heart. I am preparing to sent this in the mail to many friends and family. Check out the amazing stories.

Dear Friends and Family,
I am extremely excited to be writing you right now. I am writing you to share some amazing stories from Ethiopia because in one way or another you have played a part in my recent trips to Ethiopia, so I wanted you to hear the updates that I have received in the last couple of months. These updates I am about to share are so amazing to me that I can’t not contain my joy in the way that the Lord has used these hostels to reach not only the Borana area in Ethiopia but also the entire country of Ethiopia and even people here in the United States. We have all played a role as seen in Romans 10

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"”
Romans 10:14-15

To start out I received two emails. The first one was to tell me that 5 students from the boys High School Hostel/Dormitory have now moved onto Universities through out Ethiopia. This is amazing that not only have these boys become Christians, but now they have been given an amazing opportunity to further their education. My excitement on this only grew as I talked to my Ethiopian friend that I work with at Goodrich and he told me that only 3-5 percent of those that take the entrance test actually get into Universities. Now I don’t know how to verify this at this time but to see his face light up when he heard that was completely amazing as he was also able to play a role in these trips. If the 3-5 percent is even close to the current percentage that is only another way the Lord is working.

The next email I received was even more exciting to hear that the Boys High School Dormitory we helped build in Yabello in 2008 was actually housing 50 boys. This building built only 1 year ago is actually almost at capacity. Coupled this with the fact that these boys and a couple girls now living in Yabello are looking at starting a church in this small Ethiopian town. I can’t imagine myself as a High School student along with my friends looking at actually starting a church. The Lord is using these boys and girls in such amazing ways, how can we not be filled with joy in from seeing Him work through them.

In this last email it only got better. Within each one of these dorms there is an adult or family that stays there are missionaries there to teach these children the gospel in the evenings. Now they are also building relationships with the communities in the area. In doing this they have been invited to a small community about 15Km east of where we stayed in 2007. They went and shared the gospel with those who attended and 16 people gave their lives to Christ. This is a strong Muslim community so this shows that the possibilities are endless when God is at work.

In closing I want to thank each and everyone of you for the role you have played in His work in Ethiopia. He is completely amazing and what He can do is definitely infinite and this is only a small example of how great He really is.

God Bless,
Jason Langfield

Language Matters

2009-02-11T19:46:00.004-06:00

I used to not worry about how I said or worded things. Now I did put some thought into it but not much as I figured if I got my point across I have successfully communicated. Over time though that thought process has kind of changed. One coworker has been quoted as saying “You are to smart to sound this stupid”. Now I know this sounds kind of harsh but really if you read the email I wrote that day it was completely true and I need to be reminded of this and to be careful with what and how I say things.

The above title was actually taken from a Bill Hybels book called Axiom. Ironically it is the very first Axiom he talks about in the book. He puts it very well by saying “When you put the right words to a vision or a principle, it becomes axiomic. It begins to live! It becomes memorable and powerful.” Let me take a second and give you the definition of axiom – a self-evident truth that requires no proof, or a universally accepted principle or rule. As I thought about this it made me think about how important our communication really is. Well I read on and Bill says “I’ve been known to devote an entire transatlantic flight to nailing a single sentence…..” I don’t think I have ever even put that much time into an entire journal entry or blog. Now they bounce around up there for a while as I gather my thoughts and process them but really focusing for a whole flight on something?

This really had me paying more attention to the words I use in conversations, emails and much more. Lately I have been reading Luke and came to these verses.

for I will give you the right words and such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply or refute you!
Luke 21: 15

26 So they failed to trap him by what he said in front of the people. Instead, they were amazed by his answer, and they became silent.
Luke 20:26

39 “Well said, Teacher!” remarked some of the teachers of religious law who were standing there. 40 And then no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Luke 20:39-40

Mighty and Powerful is all I have to say. I mean Jesus was an amazing leader and our Savior so it doesn’t surprise me that His words left people amazed and silent. I think though as I look at these verses these are people that are either out to get us or Him and still they will have or had nothing to say. I would think that people who want to attack or trap someone with something would at least come up with something to say to try and catch Him off guard or to even have the last word. Though in no instance could they be successful in what they were trying to do to Him. Nor, will anyone be successful against us when He is in our court.

Luke 12

2009-01-24T12:10:00.003-06:00

”Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”
Luke 12:25-26

I know that in life I do tend to worry. I think everyone worries, but some more than others. I know myself as of late I have been focused a lot on my house. Now I know the Lord is in control and I can easily say that, but I still worry about the future and selling it and on and on as my analytical mind runs with it. Now this can be a problem. As I know worry can at times take my focus and even be something that I dwell on way too much. Worrying can really can effect how I and others live life.

Then I continue on to read in Luke 12 and come to verse 47"”That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

If worrying truly effects how I am living my life than I am not able to use what gifts the Lord has given me to the best of my abilities. These gifts can be very broad when I look at how blessed I am. Then because I have been given so much I need to really make sure that I am on top of my game and frankly when I read both these verses. I mean “beaten with many blows” because I know and don’t act really? I think back as a little kid and getting spanked for all my mischievous acts and misbehaving. I know how much I didn’t enjoy that now I need to take notice to what the Lord says here to ensure that I am making the most of what I have been given, that I am putting everything to work for who He is.

What else do I worry about?

Mute Forever?

2009-01-17T10:05:00.002-06:00

I sit and read Luke 1 only to come to a common story that I have heard many times.

Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” The angel answered, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time."
Luke 1:18-20

This time I read it though it was different. See I got to thinking about the Lord’s will, His power and myself. See the I read this and started thinking about how many times would I have to become mute to learn that what the Lord says will come true and that He is in control. I tied this directly to another common verse that sticks in my head these days.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jer. 29:11

My fear is that if the Lord was to treat me with the consequences of that of Zechariah that I would end up being mute my whole life. See I feel His promises are all over the bible yet I tend to want to take things into my own hands, do my own thing, be in control, and want things in my timing. These have been the story of my life over the past 31 years, but this different look at Luke 1 definitely has caused me to think and meditate on who He is and who I am in respect to that. I need to live each and everyday knowing that He is who He says He is and will fulfill the promises He makes. I may need to take my Faith to a new level and my relationship with Him to a new level also, but He has been gracious with me. After all He could have made me mute many times over. Hey, I may never have spoke if this verse was true for me and every time I question Him.

Falling Apart

2009-01-02T11:53:00.003-06:00

As I look back at 2008 my first thought is to think that everything is falling apart. The stock prices plummeting, thousands of houses going into foreclosure, inflation, a depression looming it is all kind of scary at first thought. It was New Years Eve and New Years day when I was sitting on the coach thinking of all these things and just processing the year at its end and a friend so kindly reminded me that I am still in the wealthiest 10 percent of the world. Really when I am reminded of this it comes to mind why am I so lucky.

He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Cor. 1:8,9

So as I go into 2009 I look a new goal for myself and it may seem simple, but as the world goes lately I want to look at my glass as Half Full instead of always Half Empty because really with the Lord as my Savior can the glass really ever be even Half Empty no matter how bad it gets?

Tough Lesson

2009-01-02T11:44:00.003-06:00

I looked back on my past couple weeks of my own personal devotions and I tie these verses together it is amazing. We serve an amazing God. The day of my car accident I read this from Col. 2 “Their sinful minds have made them proud, 19 and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it.”

See moments before my accident I think I had lost my connection with Christ. As I sat there in traffic waiting in line I grew more and more impatient and frustrated with those around me. Here I sat in a hurry wanting to get things done and rush, rush, rush and I sit in a long line of cars trying to make a left turn at a difficult intersection. Well, next thing I know at the vary intersection I was getting frustrated I ended up in an accident. I had become detached from Him yet He kept me safe as it could have been much, much worse.

But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.
Matthew 5:22

I definitely was subject to judgement that day as I had become detached from the head my Lord and Savior. Not only was I in need of an attitude adjustment, but I also needed to apologize to the lady that hit me which definately changed her attitude to me at that time. I needed a time to sit and think about who I am in Christ and who I was becoming in my rush, fast pace mind set I get into.

I always seem to need to learn my lessons the hard way. If I could only remember to stay connected to Him as my rock I would more than likely make life much, much easier on myself.

Thankful?

2008-11-27T09:30:00.004-06:00

Am I really thankful? In listening to a Thanksgiving Eve service at a local church it really got me thinking. As I sit and look at the year past I have so much to be thankful and yet deep down am I really thankful for the little things? John Ortberg in his book It all goes back in the Box said “Having to much can make a person ungrateful.”.

Today as I prepare to go to a Family gathering in which we will have way to much food of everything on the table and I am reminded of an article I read a while back called “Crumbs from your Table”. Find it here http://www.neueministry.com/2008/08/crumbs-from-your-table/ this talks about how much food we in the US waste. The numbers here are staggering. As I think about that spread that is going to be on that table today, my eyes swell with tears about how grateful I really should be with what I have not only today but everyday. This is how I should live my life each and everyday not just on a day called Thanksgiving. Why do I need a holiday to focus on what He has given me? I should focus everyday on Him and praise and give thanks to Him for what He has done in my life.

The picture posted here are of boys I think I could really learn from when it comes to giving thanks. See in this picture these boys definitely look joyful as they sing, clap and give praise. What boggles my mind is what they are giving thanks for. See they had just gotten done walking around the desert for about 2 hours in the midday sun gathering firewood so that they could cook their meals. Now do I give thanks for the fact that I can turn the dial on my stove and have heat to boil water or push a button to turn on the stove? I know for a fact that I don’t. Yet these boys are praising him through a song over firewood to cook their meals. This picture has definitely challenged me over the years.

I am currently sitting and thinking about this and what comes to my mind is that I think I really worry more than I give thanks. This is really kind of sad when I think what the bible says. See this morning I read Matt. 6. In reading this I sat and just kind of meditated on it. I started to think if I am really thankful for all He has done for me or all He has given me would I really be worrying? With this in mind I think I am going to do something a little different this Thanksgiving. I am going to make a list, a list of everything I am thankful for. I am going to lay it all out for myself to see. This will be an ever growing list as the weekend goes and I am hoping that it will make me truly realize what I have in front of me each and everyday and really how truly blessed I am.

"Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. .......... Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Sacrifice?

2008-11-13T20:44:00.003-06:00

A couple of weeks ago at church they talked about sacrifice. This stirred some thoughts in my head and actually really got me mind going. Now this isn’t a new topic for me I guess and that is what was a little more difficult. See upon returning from Ethiopia in 2008 this is something that I really struggled with and have over the past year or more. The reason for this struggle and thought process is that I guess I feel that I don’t really fully understand what a sacrifice is. Now yes I understand the whole sacrifice in the Old Testament but what I struggle with is sacrificial giving. I can never fully match that of the Lord giving His Son to die for me and much, much more.

I will try to explain my thoughts here.
These verses are what really sticks out in my mind is 2Cor 8: 12 Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have. 13 Of course, I don’t mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality.

Now I get the whole give eagerly and fully agree with that with out a doubt but this is where I struggle.

See the man to the left in this picture? I believe this is a man of God who understands this definition of sacrifice way more than I do and what really makes me think I don’t understand is verse 13 tied to what I have seen in this man.
So first off I will tell you, his name is Iticha and a missionary to Junior High boys and girls in the Borana/Sidamo region of Ethiopia. In 2007 on our trip stayed where he was working. He was not only a gracious host and servant to us in every way. In fact I believe he and his wife played a role in serving us meals and carrying us water multiple days. Then to add to that he brought us all gifts? Not just any gifts though, gifts that pertained to who we were and what he had seen in us or knew we wanted. Here I was there to serve them and help build a hostel for them in a region in which they may have an income of 1 US dollar a day and he is giving us gifts.

Now I return to Ethiopia the following year to serve again and this amazing man invites us into house small living quarters for him and his family and goes on to serve us this huge meal with meat, veggies and coffee afterwards. It was way above and beyond anything I could ever have anticipated.

The thing is it wasn’t just him that did this for us that week. Each one of the missionaries that we visited or came in contact with did something for us this past year. From making us coffee in their home, to coffee, pop and an ethnic treat called Kolo (an Ethiopian version of trail mix) . We were treated amazingly well, in this country by those we went to serve along side.

So here is my thought process and where it goes. Some people in developing countries including Ethiopia and many more may be lucky to have 1 meal a day. Yet I sit here and have 3 full meals plus much more. That doesn’t even touch the fact that I have a car, a house and way more clothes than I know what to do with. Yet they maybe have 2 sets of clothing if they are lucky and the one is their Sunday best. The whole view is just earth shaking to me. So where do I draw the line? Where is that equality? What is enough and what do I feel I need to give up to really be living sacrificially? People range from all different ends of them spectrum on what is really a sacrifice and I am just trying to figure out what this really means to me and put it into action.

I will give you a little something more I have been chewing on for at least a year now.
The lyrics to the chorus of Todd Agnew’s Mercy in Me
And I don’t know what You want
What You see in my life
And I don’t know what You mean
How You could be glorified
And I’m not to sure about this idea of sacrifice
What You mean by mercy, mercy in me
Your mercy in me

A Challenge within me.

2008-11-01T13:09:00.000-05:00

This past few weeks have been pretty crazy with everything going on as of late but this week I was away on business and had a chance to do some extra reading and thinking.
On Friday I was trying to spend sometime preparing my heart for the World Vision Experience going on at Colonial Church in Edina, MN. Check it out here www.wvexperience.org . In doing this I came across a verse that definitely got me thinking about who I am in Christ and what the Lord is doing in me (1John 3:18). I have included the surrounding verses a little more context and thought.
1 John 3: 16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

These verses really got me thinking because of how things in the past week have really come together and a lot of them can all be tied in some way to these verses.
First off in v16 I had heard this week or read this week somewhere the question possed would I be willing to lay down my life for one of my friends? This could be anyone from a good friend to an acquaintance. The sad thing here for me is that I don’t know that I could say a resounding yes right away without thinking about it. In my heart I would want this to be an immediate yes no matter what but instead it took some time for me to think and evaluate and really why would one friend be any different than the other. Jesus didn’t think of one person better than another. I am a sinner and no different than a person who has committed any other sin no matter what it is.
v17. is something that has been on my mind for years and is always good to be reminded off.
V18. Is the verse that got me to this section and this is why. I have been reading the book True North by Bill George as of late and Tuesday on my flight to Maryland I read this. “Think of your life like a house, with a bedroom for your personal life, a study for your professional life, a family room for your family, and a living room to share with your friends. Can you knock down the walls between these rooms and be the same person in each of them?” Now this to me ties directly to verse 18 how I was thinking these past days. Could I really knock down the walls and if I did am I the same person at work as I am at say Bible Study, hanging out with my Christian friends, at church or with my immediate family or extended family. Do I say one thing and do another? Do my actions represent who I say I am? Is this a real life a life of integrity focused on the Lord that I lead? I guess I just want to be able to answer all these questions in a way that is pleasing to the Lord without one ounce of hesitation.

Changing my Pace

2008-10-11T12:14:00.003-05:00

I was sitting here trying to figure out what to write, where to go with this blog entry and what the passion was inside of me today. Well, I started multiple blogs and ended up deleting them all and just decided to start reading some of the sites and short articles that I enjoy and ya know I found something. Something actually convicting to who I am and who I have been over the years as I have grown in my relationship with Christ. There is a devotional in a book called Extreme Devotion that says "Instinct is interested in self-preservation. Conviction is above our own interests." My world I think is filled with a lot of Instinct and I need to challenge myself to live with conviction.
Please take some time to read this article and see if it moves and challenges you as I know if did me.
http://www.neueministry.com/2008/10/the-simplicity-of-justice/

See in my opinion I think this guy gets it. I read this article and I wonder who I am. What would I do in these situations? Would I really care enough to turn right and continue to turn right? I have talked about missions overseas before but they just as real here in the US amongst us. It could be helping with hurricane Katrina or Ike or even just helping a neighbor for the Joy of it. Not because I want something in return but that I really care about them as a person. There is a song by Seven Day Slumber that I am listening to called Matt. 25. The words are amazing and go directly with this article.
“I call myself a man of God
While laughing at my brother
I crossed the heart of a hungry man
Instead of giving him some bread
And what I say
And what I do
Are not the same anymore
And who I slay, who I betray
Lord have mercy on my soul
And you were hungry
And you were thirsty
You were lonely you were cold
And you were hurting, you were dying
I just left you all alone

I watched a mother who had her children
They all three crying out for help
But know one heard them
And I just passed them and
I screamed "Lady get a job!"
She took her own life
Under the bridge that day
While her children sat and cried
I could have told her about my loving father
Instead I spit in Jesus face, when I heard her voice
What you do unto the least of them
You do unto me
And when you see one of my hurting children
I want you to snee
Cause I was hungry
And I was thirsty
I was lonely I was cold
And that was me hurting, that was me dying
And you just left me all alone
I call myself a man of God
While laughing at my brother”

A side track from BWCA

2008-10-01T17:43:00.003-05:00

This weekend at church we sang the song “Jesus paid it All” an old hymn and a very good hymn. We also sang this song a while back and there is one line in this hymn that has struck me more lately than maybe any other hymn in my life. “He changed the leper’s spots” Now these are the first two times that this line has ever caught my attention and really I guess I never knew or ever paid attention to it. I really didn’t know what the complete meaning or understanding of that line. I didn’t know what leper’s spots really were and never really cared to look into it as I thought it was something from the past and didn’t really exist anymore. Well, while in Ethiopia we were able to visit a Leper Siam. This is a village or area within the capital city Addis Ababa where lepers can live and work. Now I still fully don’t know or understand the spots and everything leprosy can do to a human being but what I do know is that these spots on this Ethiopian man are unmistakable. To think that when I look at myself as a sinner, I am also unmistakable without His saving Grace to wash away my sins. That He came to pay that price to take away those sins and to wash them away and make me whole and complete again. I guess the visual here makes this song oh so much more real now that I have a better grasp on the realness of the possible thoughts of the artist.

Now the impact this man had on my life didn’t stop there. I saw him two years in a row sitting there on the cement making rugs like shown in the picture with his hands that don’t really have fingers but the leprosy spots and missing fingers. I am assuming from leprosy is not what caught my attention. What caught my attention was more about his joy his happiness in life. So I think about how I sit at my desk at work in my cushioned chair with a back rest non-the-less, behind a computer, in an air-conditioned building and yet I still find a way on some days to complain. Yet this man has greeted me both years I have seen him with a smile from ear to ear in shear happiness and joy. Makes me evaluate my perspective on life as he is such an incredible man and I don’t even know his name. I hope to see him again some day in the future and bring him this picture and hopefully talk to him about how his joy and happiness has affected my life in this past year and thank him for that. I wonder if he is a Christian? What his story is? Where he has come and just information about him?

BWCA_3

2008-09-27T10:18:00.002-05:00

It is now onto 1 Corinthians chapter 1 where I found my first challenging thought of this book while in the Boundary Waters. Most of these verses I have read many times and even spent times thinking about them multiple times but am going to share mot of my thoughts for the first time.
1 Cor. 1:25
For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.

The foolishness of God? First and foremost I don’t ever see it possible that God could be foolish in anyway, shape or form. So to me this is kind of mute or maybe just needed for my understanding here. Cause really in no way can I see God being foolish no matter how hard I think on this. When I think of those thoughts and then think of the fact that even to that point He is still wiser than I am or even the smartest man out there. It makes me realize that I need to stop trying to figure out why and what and all the in betweens in the bible. Some things that were done or happened I may never understand and I have to be ok with that. I think of times when I am talking with some of the smartest people I know and how there are things they say or may even be trying to explain to me that will just fly right over my head without even a chance of me understanding it. Now I turn and think of God being much wiser than even that person and it sheds a little light on the whole complete and ultimate wisdom of God.

Now I think of His strength. In the boundary waters the last couple years we have seen some pretty strong winds and interesting storms, but nothing really bad. It is just a different thought process when you are out in the middle of no where. To hear trees falling from the wind and finding out that there are were multiple fires started out there all around where you were staying and it didn’t even seem like all that powerful of a storm really makes me think of His ultimate power. If those storms didn’t seem like much but yet we have down trees and fires burning all around, what could He really do if He put His mind to it? Well, create Heaven and Earth. Not a very deep thought I know this but you think of the Old Testament also and just wiping entire nations out and much, much more. I feel I have not even seen a glimpse into His true almighty power.

BWCA_2

2008-09-26T20:43:00.004-05:00

Some more thoughts of the boundary waters.
Romans 15: 11
So I have reason to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God.

My train of thoughts were a little different here. Enthusiasm, joy and or passion is some thing that I think can rub off on others. A joy of something, say a joy for serving the Lord, for serving others, for seeing people grow and for seeing lives changed or transformed are some examples that came to my mind.
In the picture above you see this enthusiasm in these boys during a teaching illustration. This was something that was amazing to see through there face through everything that they did. Such an enthusiasm for life no matter what they are doing, weather it is running a race, gathering wood, hauling blocks or most importantly worshiping our Lord and Savior.
The questions that then pursued were how do I actually spread enthusiasm that I have for something? How do I spread a passion a joy I find in an experience or in something that I have seen in someone else. Also how do I get that enthusiasm that those boys have in that picture? An enthusiasm in all things and one that radiates through everything I do. This is the enthusiasm that I long for in Christ at all times. So how do I ensure in myself that this joy overflows in my life that others know that there is something different about who I am as I do in those boys.

Processing in the BWCA_1

2008-09-18T19:24:00.003-05:00

I am going to break this down a little different this time and just share the questions that I pondered and asked myself on this.

Rom. 10:14
“But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?”
Who am I to hold back my experiences? Hold back what the Lord has taught me as I have been walking through life. I definitely haven’t been perfect in life that is fo rsure and if others can learn from my mistakes or by me sharing what I have learned who am I to hold it back. I may never know what they Lord may use in my life or the lives of others. As an analytical this verse hits home. Job 36:26a Look, God is greater than we (I) can understand. Even though I may want to know and understand I need to accept that I may not ever fully understand His ways. In my reading this morning it talked about being ok with saying “I don’t know” then focusing on what you do know. I often apply this at work so I should learn to apply it more in my walk with the Lord. He has definitely taught me a lot and I still have a ton to learn.

Rom. 10:15
And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
Senders are very important as no missionary or person doing outreach can go without being sent by someone? I definitely learned this in the past years with being more involved in missions. They wouldn’t have been possible without out loving support of prayer. Seeing the amazing work through prayer first hand is a great experience. Feet…… huh beautiful? Most people think of feet as dirty but here they are beautiful, but could you even see myself kissing the feet of someone I know. Say my pastor or a mission team member before they go. I know I couldn’t but after seeing someone talk about the feet as in the word here it definitely is an amazing and humbling experience to see them kneel down and kiss the feet of four people in the room in the middle of the evening. To think how humble and greatful others are. Where do I stand here and that is a tough question…….

Psalm 46 and the BWCA

2008-09-13T09:49:00.005-05:00

So I know everyone knows and frequently is pointed to verse 10a of this Psalm. “Be still, and know that I am God”, but I am going to say that I am really at fault of actually doing this at most times in my life. It has been something I have been working on and something I strived to do on this trip to the BWCA. It is amazing what the Lord will teach me when I actually do this.
Now I did just that and I have to say that it was completely amazing to see how blessed we were on this trip. In the midst of his wonderful creation we were completely blessed with weather, safety of travel and the surroundings of animals inhabiting the area with us.
A deeper look into Ps. 46 led me to an amazement of how much it truly applies to our trip. One instance would be to look at verse 8. “Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth.” Here we are in a completely amazing place in Minnesota that has been totally destroyed by fires over the years. As you look around you can see the complete and utter power of fire. Now I don’t know if these were caused by lighting or a human, but last year while we were in the BWCA there were multiple fires around where we were staying all started by lighting. So this is what came to my mind at the time. Amongst this though there was the complete power, strength and freedom of a Bald eagle if you look closely.
While there I was reading and journaling through Romans and 1. Cor. it is amazing to look back at my journal and see what verses stuck out to me those days and the impact they had on me. Journaling though I may initially have not wanted to do it has proved itself invaluable over the past couple years in my walk with the Lord.
I have decided that over the next few entrees I will share some of these verses and my thoughts on this trip in these blogs and use this as an intro to that.

A fish

2008-09-07T22:11:00.002-05:00

First off I was going to write about this on Friday night but decided to just relax do my bible study and read my magazines that I was behind on. In doing this I came to a little paragraph an Article called “Leading by Social Network”. Now it went into a bunch of ways next generation leaders are doing ministry. What happened was crazy, I went to this site only to find the topic for the day, to be exactly what I was going to write about. You will see an exert from this below. Check it out. Also church could pertained to this in Christians being the light of the world.
One night a few weeks ago I ended up having a random conversation with some random people at Granite City while have a quick dinner. While sitting there watching a tennis match on TV I some how got a conversation going with this girl about Christ and that I was a Christian. What I thought was a going to be a good conversation quickly turned not so good. As what was stated as Christians are those people with the Fish on the back of their cars who drive crazy and cut you off and won’t let you in. Next thing I know the bartender joins in also ( I was sitting at the bar eating my dinner as I usually do when I run in by myself). Now, not really a good thing as I am becoming pinned here. Well, I manage to turn it away from that and lead them to an understanding that not all Christians are like that and that we all make mistakes and in fact that is why I don’t even have a fish on the back of my car. Side track, this leads me to think this is funny from the site above.
“. Can your kids revoke your fish if you drive like a maniac? If you cut someone off or swear at someone in the church parking lot, can they say, "Pull over mom, I'm gonna need to put that fish in the glove compartment for a few days."”
It is so true as a Christian I feel that I can be really hypocritical at times as no one sees me get mad or annoyed or the things I say, want to say, or even think about that person that just cut me off or is driving really slow or even flies by me going way over the speed limit. This verse strikes me and makes me think about when I speed or am driving. Rom. 2:15 They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. 16 And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life.
This story also goes with church this weekend in Matt. 5: 14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
How I act is exactly what others see and like my pastor says this weekend when I am careless the light goes out (or gets covered up) and the world gets a little bit darker.
Back to the story though, I don’t ever know what happened to that girl or the bartender but by the end of the night I think I had finally convinced at least the girl to give Church and Christ a try and she sounded if she would visit Willow Creek in Chicago where she was from as there was one fairly close.
All in all this really made me think about the impact I can have for Christ without evening knowing it just by my actions.

Inflation

2008-09-03T22:23:00.006-05:00

Ok so how many people have complained about inflation over the past year? I know I myself have on Chipolte Burritos and Gasoline to name a few. Now Chipolte ok was only 10 cents but Gas that has jumped a dollar or more depending on they day seeing it was $2.50 a year ago Labor Day. Now that is a lot, but is this real a lot. I have heard about corn, rice and some other grains going up and even hay. I received a letter in the mail from an Organization that buys rice in 2000lbs. bags. They have seen the price jump from $340 a bag to $700 thus the cost of the meals they make have jumped from 15cents a meal to 17 cents. Now multiple that by the millions of meals they make. I think you get the idea. This led me to contact a friend and ask him about the price of corn. He has seen the price of corn in the last two years go from $2 a bushel to as high as $7 a bushel to where it currently sits at about $5.74. Now here is a quote from him, but I am not going to use his name for privacy sake “Because of the government ethanol mandate, global demand and a weak dollar corn prices have gotten higher than ever in the last two years.”

So my thought was this is kind of affecting me but I knew more because of past experiences and trips. See the boy in this picture? Well, he also has a type of inflation in his life. It is his stomach. Now I doubt this is because he ate to much like I did in the Boundary Waters this past weekend. No it is probably the start of Malnutrition. I met with a couple very smart people the last day or so to probe and find more information on a problem I already knew existed in a country I care about greatly. Well, this is what I found out. Corn in the Borana region of Ethiopia where I have visited both in 2007 and 2008 and where this boy is from, usually ranges from 50-150 Burr (their currency about 9Burr to 1 US dollar) depending on the drought and production and such. This guy has lived there for years and said this is the norm. I take him as a creditable source for this information. When he left Ethiopia this year corn was at 600 Burr. Now granted I don’t know the units of how much for this but I don’t care as of now. I thought about this, my gas that I complain about going from $2.50 a gallon to $10.00 a gallon or maybe even $15.00 a gallon that is 6 times as the corn in Borana is. Now this gas problem for me is an inconvenience if it got worse and would probably change some of my living habits to riding the bus, carpooling and other extra curricular activities would go away, but for the Borana people group and others like them it is a life or death sort of problem as they can’t afford to eat three meals a day maybe not even two some maybe four a week who knows.

So I asked more questions and probed farther. Like how do to support this region to prevent this and reach kids the kids for Christ? The options and answers are out there we just need to find them. Other areas of the world have problems also and you can see some on my links on the right of the page of projects and ways to help. I particularly have a passion and a heart for the Borana because I visited there and have friends there and maybe many of you do also or would like to hear more. Just contact me and let me know and I will go deeper into what I have learned. I am extremely blessed to live and be given what I have to this point in my life.

Here is some information and articles I have read as of late.

http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1834334,00.html

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-08-17-ethiopia_N.htm?loc=interst

http://www.compassion.com/sponsordonor/global-food-crisis/default.htm

This is a new one. Check out some of the articles really made me think.

http://www.neueministry.com//onesabbath/

Faith

2008-09-01T20:44:00.006-05:00

1Cor 13:2b if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.

Could you imagine having enough faith to move those mountains. There have been times that I have thought my faith was strong only to have my world shaken a little to make me go searching and even doubt at times. This is an amazing growth and learning experience even though it surely isn’t fun. In the end it is all that much more worth it when I look back. Lee Strobel says “ I knew that my fundamental trust in Jesus would be stronger, surer, more confident, more steadfast because it had been refined through the purifying fire of doubt.” Now think of this. How powerful fire truly is and yet how dangerous it can be if it gets out of control. Lee Strobel also says in the next page of The Case for Faith “If doubt and faith can co-exist, then this means people don’t have to fully resolve each and every obstacle between them and God in order to have an authentic faith.”
I find great comfort in knowing that I don’t need to know all the answers but that I just need to have faith in Him and Him alone. Now this also is not always easy so I don't want you to think this is just like a simple walk in the park.

Tough Lesson

2008-08-27T17:30:00.003-05:00

Ever been slapped up side the head by a verse that you have read or been given from God’s word? I have. Before I left for Ethiopia in Feb. 08 we had a prayer night for the team. This evening I received a verse given to me by an amazing prayer warrior.

The verse was Is.40:29-31

29 He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. 30 Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. 31 But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

Everyone knows verse 31 but that isn’t what got to me. It was verses 29 and 30. For at the time I looked at this verse and being young I was like great this is perfect verse for me. I am going to trust in Him, focus on Him, stay strong in His word and in Prayer and I will do great, I will have power and strength as I do these things. It was actually motivating and kind of pumped me up. Well, little did I know what he had in store for me at the time. I head over to Ethiopia and things are going great except for the fact that I didn’t really drink a lot of water one day on the job site. Now seeing it was 120 degrees and extremely dry not paying attention to it through out the day was not a good thing. I was so task oriented and focused on getting the job done and ensuring that everyone had tasks and no one was bored or looking for something to do. That night and the following morning was a hit to my pride, my ego and who I was. The Lord had broken me. As I laid in bed that night with a headache and just in pain from being dehydrated and all the other fun things that go with that (I’ll spare the details). I drank lots of water, tried to sleep and went to my bible at which time I found this verse glaring at me. That was a wake up call….. It isn’t on me to lead this team as the Lord had humbled me and taken that from me by forcing me to my bed both that night and the following morning but it was me having the privilege to be used by God to serve these amazing people in the Ethiopians and our team.

As I returned to the US and had more time to think about this and post process the trip it was amazing to learn this, but also scary that I had to go that far away and those lengths to learn such a lesson. On top of it all. My parents had given me a shirt with the verse Is.40:31 on the front. What is scary is they did this without knowing anything about this lesson. This now serves as an amazing reminder of what I learned those days.

Whatever the Lord wants

2008-08-24T17:13:00.013-05:00

Encouragement to grow in my faith comes each day when I look at the picture of the Ethiopian boy with a toothbrush/stick in his mouth.... Why? When asked what he wanted to do after school he said "whatever the Lord has planned." This is amazing. Why?

Well I wasn't even close to being that strong in my faith when I was a high schooler yet this boy yet in High School and a very young Christian really truly has so much more when it comes to an eternal perspective. Seeing him and knowing his heart brings joy to my heart each and every day to see the work the Lord is doing through the work of others in the town of Yabello, Ethiopia.

To add a little more to this story this young boy was doing exactly what the Lord wanted him to do. That weekend when we went to a very small village to have a rural church service, guess who was one of our translators? You got it. This High School boy was doing the translating from Ahmharic to Oromo of the lessons shared by some of our team members. It is just amazing to see it all come together. The question I need to continually ask myself each and everyday is am I really willing to do whatever the Lord wants with my life like this young boy was at a much younger age?