This Is The Thing!

We are moving

2011-03-08T01:26:00.001-05:00

Hey beautiful people just wanted to let you know that we haven't forgotten about you. We are hard at work building a brand new blog that we know you're gonna love. This is The Thing is going to another level so stay tuned for updates!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Treasure Within

2010-11-01T12:52:00.000-04:00

This is an short excerpt from a sermon I preached at Jubilee... TO ADULTS!

Be blessed and
...Cheers!

The Treasure Within (Short) from This is the Thing on Vimeo.

Buhlee

2010-10-20T13:07:00.006-04:00

One of my favorite people in the entire world is a two-year-old boy affectionately named “Buhlee”. Buhlee is the first child of two of my closest friends and he’s all around awesome. He’s cute as hell, tons of fun, and even though he is just beginning to speak in full sentences I’m convinced that we are close… close friends. Sometimes when I’m with him, we play catch, or we chase each other, sometimes we even both strip down to our diapers and run around outside and take pictures (j/k, j/k that hasn’t actually happened… yet).

One of the reasons I enjoy hanging with this two year old boy so much is because he reminds me of the days when my spirit was just like his. He helps me remember the good old days, you know what I mean...

when you trusted your environment and the people in it so much that I could leap first and ask questions later,

when everyone was your friend and playmate,

when you weren’t concerned with the pressures or worries of tomorrow but you could fully embrace ever moment,

when your imagination was so vivid that a cardboard box or a plastic bag could be the source of entertainment for hours.

Those were the days, and today when I have a paper due, a test tomorrow, an 8-hour work shift tonight, plus a 2-hour commute, I lonnnnnng for those days, and my longing for those days goes much deeper than an escape from a busy schedule.

When I think about Buhlee I think about Jesus, especially because Jesus said things like, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” and "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these". Wow, what a thought. Jesus isn’t saying that we should always act like little children and never mature, he’s saying that there are qualities in children that are necessary for us to experience God as He is and life as He intends it.

Jesus is urging us to bring our imagination, our ability to love and trust freely, our ability to enjoy each moment, and our ability to experience true contentment regardless of circumstance from childhood into our adult years. These qualities are not those of a child, these are qualities of a human, whole and free. That is the plan of God for us, that we may be whole and complete not lacking any good thing. Thanks Buhlee.

Love, Life, Christ,
Riis

One Big Baby

2010-10-12T22:29:00.005-04:00

When people are pregnant it seems to be a popular thing to take pictures of the mom every week or so to show people the progress. So consider this post an inside look into my pregnancy, or something like that.

From not getting a visa on time and missing multiple flights, to family issues, the Enemy has tampered with this process in more ways than I can share. Which means this must be a big baby - one too big for him to have ignored (By big, I mean important.) But this seems to be how he operates, there are tons of big babies throughout the Scriptures and there seems to be a common thread...Adversity

Moses is almost killed as a baby.

Hannah is barren before having Samuel.

Abraham and Sarah are pretty much old as tree bark when God says He will give them a child. Sarah actually finds this hilarious as would any normal human, but all of a sudden you got Isaac running around looking like Abraham should be his grandfather's grandfather.

Not only does King Herod try to kill baby Jesus, but good ol' Mary was a virgin. There's no other way for me to describe this besides God simply showing off.

Rachel, Rebecca, Elizabeth, Samson's mother... you get the point right?

Big Babies get Satan's attention... I've gotten used to it. The alternative is to just have small babies. There are lots of Christians with small babies... small vision, small dreams, small goals, small lives, small impact, small risks, small faith. They don't bother Satan and I actually think he leaves them alone too. Big babies draw attention, and they also hurt more, so I've heard. Not only does Satan attack, but our humanity rebels against our faith when we begin to carry a big vision.

Satan's attack on my life and my family has not stopped and if I know him well he will probably try HARDER. But if I know myself this means I'll become STRONGER and if I know God that means this baby is going to get BIGGER.

Walking by Faith, from Across the Pond
Manny Arango

What Will They Say?

2010-09-28T21:15:00.006-04:00

A couple days ago I went to a funeral. A friend of mine’s grandmother passed away at the age of 88. Usually at funerals you can adequately gauge what the deceased person was like by the mood in the room. I’ve been to funerals where the person being remembered has been murdered and the anger in the room has been palpable. I’ve also been to funerals where the person being remembered was simply a terrible person and you could feel an odd sense of relief in the room. This funeral was neither, because the woman being remembered was a legend in her community.

She was well known for her generosity and devotion to the children in her neighborhood. She had been a mother to generations of children in her community. Her joyous spirit and sustained faith in God left an indelible impression on so many lives. One man even pleaded for more women like her to step up in these difficult times because the community is desperate for them. As I sat there and heard all the heartfelt words and saw all the tears I couldn’t help but wonder…

What will they say about me?

When my life comes to an end and my heart and flesh depart this place…

What will they say?

Will they speak of my love and commitment to those around me?

Will they throw out words like integrity, compassion, strength, and wisdom?

I’m not exactly sure what people will say but I know that I am often guilty of taking my time here on this earth for granted. I’m guilty of thinking that even though tomorrow is not promised to me, I’ll always have another chance to do better. We easily forget that time is the one resource that we can never replace, we take it for granted. Once it’s gone… it’s gone. I don’t know what tomorrow will hold; in fact I don’t even know that I will see tomorrow. What I do know is that I have today, and today I can decide to do and be everything that God has called me to be. Today I can give each moment the value it deserves and love, encourage, give, and inspire with urgency and abandon.

So what will they say? I’m not quite sure. What I do know, is that if I treat every moment like the gift that it truly is, and recklessly show the unconditional love that God has shown me, to others in my life, it will have to be something epic.

Love, Life, Christ
Riis,

9 Months//New Birth

2010-09-21T11:39:00.001-04:00

As many of you may know, in 2 days I'm leaving to spend 9 months in England to study the Bible in an intense program. I'll end up reading the Bible cover to cover, reading each book 5 times, and studying each book in depth.

As soon as I knew for sure I was leaving I began making jokes about it being just enough time for me to have a child, and nobody know about it. Trust me... I was only joking! I love Jesus way too much to knock up a really hot European girl and then flee for the States once the baby is due to arrive. I love having great stories to tell, but I don't think that's a story anyone would appreciate, including Jesus... and I like it when He laughs at my stories.

Like I said, I was only joking, so I wasn't expecting what came next. I was having some time alone with God, and He began to speak to me about this next 9 months of my life. He said that 9 is the number of birth, and that He was going to use this next 9 months to birth something inside of me. He would birth within me a love for Him and His Word. The Holy Spirit would impregnate me with a vision and dream for how youth in the city of Boston will be won for Christ. He would birth within me a hunger for revival, and a way to speak His revelation to my generation.

I may have thought I was joking about having a child, but now I'm serious. This 9 months will be a season of new birth for me. Just like 9 months is just enough time to drastically change someone's life physically. It seems like it's just enough time to change someone's life spiritually as well.

I don't know the exact details or exactly how God will change me, but I know the next 9 months will be a drastic and intentional time of growth; of new birth. My question to you is what will God do in your life in the next 9 months? What are you believing God for in this next 9 months? Am I the only one who God is impregnating with a vision for the city of Boston? Am I the only one that God will birth something through in this next 9 months? I don't think so...

My challenge for you is that you make this next 9 months as intentional as possible. Become pregnant with something as well, and give birth to something that will radically change your surroundings. And follow me on my journey as I discover what all this will mean.

This Is The Thing...

2010-09-07T23:02:00.001-04:00

This Is The Thing about Kanye West... from This is the Thing on Vimeo.

Three Dolllars Worth of God

2010-09-06T23:49:00.000-04:00

In light of our sermons at the RUINED conference we thought this piece would be great to use this week. Most Christians are simply content, comfortable, poncho-wearing, and stuck.
Three dollars worth of God is all most Christians want... here's the piece that inspires us to want more.

I would like to buy three dollars worth of God, please.

I would like to buy just a little of the Lord. Not enough to explode my soul and disturb my sleep. Not enough to take control of my life. I want just enough to equal a cup of warm milk. Just enough to ease some of the pain from my guilt.

I would like to buy three dollars worth of God, please. I would like to find a love that is pocket-sized. I don’t want enough of God to make me love a black man or pick beets with a migrant. Not enough to change my heart. I can only stand just enough to take to church when I have time. Just enough to equal a snooze in the sunshine. I want ecstasy, not transformation. I want the warmth of the womb, but not a new birth.

I would like to purchase a pound of the eternal in a paper sack. If it doesn’t work, I would like to get my money back.

I would like to buy three dollars worth of God, please. I would like to hide some for a rainy day. Not enough for people to see a change in me. Not enough to impose any responsibility. Just enough to make folks think I am ok.

Could I just get three dollars worth of God, please?

Wilbur Rees

Ruined For The Ordinary

2010-08-23T14:16:00.000-04:00

Ruined For The Ordinary from This is the Thing on Vimeo.

We are forever ruined, and we simply want to share that with you.
Be blessed... and RUINED.

Riis and Manny

Ruined!!!!

2010-08-16T13:30:00.004-04:00

Hey people, this past week we had our annual youth conference entitled "Ruined For The Ordinary". It was an amazing time of inspiration and growth and we had to share it with you. This is the first clip with Riis preaching and one of the videos we made with our amazing group of kids. Please be blessed, inspired, and RUINED!!!!!!

'Ruined' Youth Conference from This is the Thing on Vimeo.

Chipped

2010-08-03T23:31:00.007-04:00

Every year about this time I start reflecting on the year that has just gone by. I know it’s not January 1st but because I’ve been in school pretty much forever, the natural rhythm of my life runs in seasons from September to June, with July and August acting as a summertime launch pad. I remember last year at our annual youth conference I had a defining moment that God made sure I would never forget.

We begin all our nights with worship and worship ends with a prayer. I grabbed the microphone to pray and I got really excited, because that’s just how I roll. I was going at it pretty good and my hands were getting excited, and my head was excited, and somehow my hand hit my face and I chipped my front tooth on the microphone. Later that night Trent Sheppard preached a message about growing into maturity that absolutely ripped me up inside. Sitting there that night listening to Trent was like hearing all of the thoughts, frustration, and longings I had experienced over the previous few months converge at his lips. Every word pierced my heart and by the end of the sermon I could only respond in tears. Trent invited anyone desiring to grow into spiritual maturity to the altar and before he was done talking I was already there. I didn’t care that their were 800 hundred people there, I didn’t care that I was leader, I didn’t care about maintaining some image that I have everything together all I cared about was answering God’s call and getting everything out of that night that I was supposed too. I just knew that night was the beginning of something new in my life.

August 13, 2009 was a turning point for me, and I will never forget it. Every time I feel the chipped tooth in my mouth I remember the day God urged me to “throw off everything that hinders” and “run with perseverance the race” he marked out for me. That night he birthed in me a hunger for His word, a hungry for His presence, and a hunger for righteousness. Since that day I have made mistakes and honestly some days I “run” harder than others, but no matter what, through joy, pain, success, and failure I press… “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus”.

I feel like we all have had those seasons in life where we can feel God poking and prodding at our heart. We can feel His spirit urging us to lay aside some things in our life, to close one chapter so we can start another. What is God saying to you? More importantly, how are you going to respond? Are you going to let your public image or your pride dictate your level of surrender or are you going to lay everything aside and answer the call?

P.S. follow me on Twitter @TheRiisLewis :)
Love, Life, Christ,
Riis,

My Dad Is Like Jesus.

2010-07-26T18:58:00.000-04:00

The Pursuit from This is the Thing on Vimeo.

Pastor Mike and I just finished a series about relationships, sex, and dating at Revolution143... this is one of the clips. I'll keep 'em coming.

"If We're Going To Win... It Should Be Hard."

2010-06-16T12:09:00.002-04:00

I like things easy. People try to tell me that I shouldn't, but the reality is that I do. People say things like, "Easy come, easy go" or "You'll appreciate things more if you have to work hard to get it." And I always think to myself... "Suuuure... But you wouldn't say that if you won the lottery."

Last night I was watching the Celtics get embarrassed by the Lakers. At halftime ABC showed a recap of the entire series. One of the clips was of Doc Rivers. He was walking toward the locker room after Game 5 and he said this, "We gotta win one in LA. It's going to be very hard. But if we're going to win, it should be hard." And it hit me. Winning should be hard.

God doesn't place things in our hand, but rather places them within our reach and makes us stretch and fight a little for them. This is the first time in my life that things aren't simply falling into my lap, and although I hate it, I love it. I love it because I feel dependent on God. I love it because I'm praying more. I love it because it's making me evaluate what I really want and what I'm willing to fight for. I love it because it's producing character within me. I love it because I'm learning how strong and weak I am. Challenges reveal the truth. How strong or weak a person is can't be determined when God is showering down blessings, but rather how a person overcomes adversity and wins despite the odds.

Don't look for the open doors. Look for the ones that are cracked open just a little bit. All through the Bible God calls men and women to overcome the most insurmountable odds. It never looks like it's going to work out at the start. It always looks like a closed door at the start. But then God shows up, and His power becomes evident in light of human weaknesses.

Many of the challenges that have been placed before me seem impossible. But instead of focusing on my weaknesses I've chosen to fixate on His power. Maybe there are challenges befor you that seem impossible...

Letting go of a toxic relationship.
Getting over a heartbreak.
Getting the girl that rejects you all the time.
Ending a habitual pattern of sin in your life.
Becoming the man of God you know you should be.
Becoming the husband, or wife you know God has called you to be.
Chasing the dream that haunts you.

Indeed impossible. I will never say that any of those things are possible. What I will declare though is that I worship and love a God for whom nothing is impossible. I will declare that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength.

Doc Rivers was right. Winning should be hard. That's why people that win the lottery go broke. Chase the impossible, God is on your side. And that makes all the difference.

Live Dangerously.

2010-06-09T10:52:00.005-04:00

The other day I overheard a group of old people talking after church. I wasn’t really paying attention because I’m not nosy, but fortunately I happened to catch a few lines of their conversation. They’ve been bouncing around in my mind ever since and now they've landed here.

Ever since I was young, I've always thought I would do something great. I thought I was going to be the first black president (someone beat me to it), and fly fighter jets for the air force, and play in the NFL, all while being a successful stockbroker. I pretty much had it all worked out in my head. Even as a kid all that mattered was that I did something significant with my life, something that was going to leave an impact on the world, something that would remain long after I died. I never wanted to be ordinary… because honestly, nobody remembers ordinary people.

So about that conversation... One of the old men remarked, “I don’t remember anywhere in Scripture where God says you have to wait for some church to give you a bunch of money before you go and do what He’s called you to do”. The conversation those old people had on Sunday reminded me of those childhood dreams. The snippet of their conversation reminded me how much I don’t want to be ordinary. I daydream about traveling the world, preaching to the masses, seeing lives changed, and cities transformed… then I come to back to reality and I’m reminded of everything I don’t have and all that could get in the way of my dreams, I’m reminded how far fetched my dreams are and how it would just be easier to do something safe.

That old guys' statement reminded me that with dreams come risks. If your going to dream you got to be willing to live dangerously. You have to be willing to cast aside security in order to run after everything that has been put in your heart. Generally I’m a pretty calculated individual, the majority of the things in my life are planned in advance because I’m not a huge fan of failure or surprises, but the thought of dreams unfulfilled is making me more and more comfortable with the idea of living dangerously. I would rather fail chasing after what's in my heart than settle for a life that's ordinary and safe.

Lately I have been really thinking hard about my next step in life. I graduate college in six months and I’m far from certain about what the next chapter of my life has in store for me. I don’t have a serious job, I don’t have significant debt, I don’t have a girlfriend (I’m accepting applications though...), but I’m terribly unimpressed with the idea of living a normal life.

All I really have… is DREAMS.
But maybe that's all I really need.
Maybe my dreams are from God... what a wild thought.

What are your dreams?
What dreams have you cast aside as too far fetched?
What would you do with your life if you knew you could not fail?
Have you settled for the ordinary?

Maybe it's time to live dangerously... for Jesus of course.

Love, Life, Christ,
Riis

Move.

2010-06-02T14:04:00.000-04:00

Friday night at Revolution143 (the youth group I work with) we decided to have praise and worship for three hours. No sermon. Just music, dance and shouts of joy. As I sat in the back of the dark sanctuary and watched our kids krump and dance in true freedom I was almost moved to tears. The way they worship seems to explode from within them, pouring out from the well in their souls. It's beautiful.

Saturday I had the priveledge of catching up with some old friends at a dance studio and sat in on thier practice. Four of my friends are steppers and two of them tap. I watched them practice for a while then began wandering around the studio watching other groups and teams practice everything from modern and contemporary to ballet and tap. After that I went to church and watched the last hour of Revolution143's dance team as they rehearsed a routine for Sunday morning. Their good. Their not like most churchy/liturgical dancers... their actually good. And it's beautiful.

Stepping.
Tapping.
Hoofing.
Krumping.
It's beatiful.

There's something about dance that moves me, that stirs something within me and intrigues me... and so this post is dedicated to dance and all those who stir my soul and make me want to shake what my mother gave me.

Why do we even do this thing called dance?
Why do we feel the need to express ourselves physically?
Are words not enough to communiticate what we feel?

Because there is something about the human spirit that cannot merely express with words the transendance and glory of God. There's something about the granduer and glory of God that moves us... literally. Christian and non-Christians alike are trying to express that there something "bigger than themselves".

For some reason all throughout the Old Testament people are dancing. David even dances to the point of indescretion? God instructs His people to worship Him in song and dance. There's an underlying assumption that it is impossible to express ourselves with mere words and logic... it's almost as if God is saying, "I'm the God that moves you."

So often in Western culture we seek to cognitively understand this mysterious and great God instead of just being moved by Him. My host mom in Uganda was far from a theologian, I'll never forget going to church with her and seeing her dance and be moved by God's presence.

Where words can no longer express what the Spirit feels... we dance.
With hearts filled with gratitude towards a God who loves us and knows us... we dance.
With clumy movements or with intricate detail and control... we dance.

There's a rythm to the universe that God has created. A rythm to life. Have you ever seen someone dance off beat? Have you ever heard a bad drummer? Or heard someone rap that doesn't know how to flow to a beat? Have you ever seen a white gospel choir try to sway back and forth while clapping and singing? Have you ever seen or heard someone that simply lacks rythm? It's irritating to watch. It's distracting. It's hilarious. It's almost painful sometimes.

So it is with people that live outside the rythm that God has established for relationships, and family, and career, and every other aspect of life. Our lives were built to fit inside a certain rythm. Our hearts were meant to beat to a certain drum. A life that is outside of God's rythm is like watching someone clap and dance of beat. A life of worship is a life lived in rythm with God in obediance and submission to His Way, The Way. Once our inner lives are in rythm with His life (John 15:5), our public expressions of worship and dance and praise will follow suit. And it will be beautiful.

An inability of words to fully describe something is felt in this very post. I can try to explain the goosebumps I felt the first time I saw our guys Krump to "Hosanna", but you would still have to see it. I can try to explain Benito's heart as sweat poured down his face on Sunday as He danced his heart out before God, but you would still have to see it.

I leave you with this video. Rami this post was especially for you. The way that you work with our kids is beautiful. You should have your own studio. I love you. You move me.

Inlet Dance Theatre from John Carl on Vimeo.

This is why I have big muscles

2010-05-25T20:52:00.002-04:00

There is absolutely nothing worse than getting bad news from home when you’re helplessly far away. About 16 years ago my dad was diagnosed with kidney failure. When I was younger I spent countless hours at Massachusetts General Hospital visiting my dad for some reason or another… maybe he had an infection from dialysis… maybe he got sick from his medication… or because he developed some freak disease. I never really cared why my dad was there, I just remember hating the feeling that my hero had to trade his cape for a hospital gown, and my dad’s a hero, a real one (I’ll save that for another post).

I remember the menu at the hospital food court… I was a regular
I remember seeing my dad hooked up to a whole bunch of machines and tubes
I remember walking into a room and seeing a shell of the man who raised me
I even remember leaving a room thinking I may never see my dad again.

After 6 years of hospital visits, dialysis, and deadly infections my dad finally got a kidney transplant. The scars of his 6 years ordeal will never go away and the fight will always continue to some degree because there is always the chance your body rejects the new kidney, or the same process that shut down your old kidney shuts down your new one. But that’s a bridge you cross when you have too. I’m sure my dad would agree it’s a fair trade for getting to see his HANDSOME son and his BEAUTIFUL daughters grow up.

The 10 years since my dad’s transplant have truly been blessed. During that time my dad has come to know the Lord, we have grown really close as a family, and God has providing for us in every way. I can honestly say that I have the privilege of living in Godly home. God has really showed his faithfulness and commitment to my family during these years. I could literally tell you story after story of God’s power working mightily through us and for us. As a family we know without a doubt that He is faithful and He is good.

From the news I’ve received from home it looks like my family may have to cross some bridges and I must admit the thought that some of those memories may become my reality again makes me sad. I don’t know how things are going turn out, but I am sure of a few things. I’m sure that God has used the last 16 years of health, sickness, blessing, and hardship to strengthen me. I am sure that my “suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint ME, because God has poured out his love into MY heart by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given ME.” This is where my strength comes from; this is why I have big muscles. I know that that God will use all things to show his glory in my life. The promise is never that everything will always be great, the promise is that no matter what happens I will have HIM and HE is enough. HE is enough… and I’m sure of it.

Love, Life, Christ,
Riis

Now What?

2010-05-18T19:57:00.000-04:00

I graduated on Saturday and it easily may have been one of the best days of my life. I can barely put into words how it felt to be the first “Arango” to graduate from college. I can only hope that getting married feels this good… I’m not kidding. I didn’t walk across the stage to receive my diploma… I floated across on cloud nine, while holding my video camera, of course.

But as soon as the elated, ecstatic feelings of my graduation wore off…
As soon as I read all the wall posts that said CONGRATULATIONS…
As soon as I opened and read the last card…
And once I finally took off my cap and gown…

My immediate thought was and still is, “What now?”

What in the world am I going to do now?
Where am I going to work?
Did that degree really prepare me for a real job?
What did I get a degree in again?
Why did a major in that?
Where am I going to live?
How am I going to pay the rent?
My parents are really happy about this graduation… are they going to kick me out?
After 5 years of college why am I still so confused?
Why do I still feel so inadequate?

The past couple of days I have to come to grips with this Scripture…

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”
Proverbs 16:9

As of right now I have no job.
Sallie Mae is about to be on my back in 6 months.
I’m still not ready to be a “grown up”.
I still want to live this adventure called “college”.

In my heart I have so many plans, and so many dreams. So many ways I thought I would be different by now and so many things I thought I would have accomplished.

I thought I would be married… or engaged… or at least dating.
I thought I would have some clarity on where my life is headed.
I thought my bank account would look a little better.
I thought I wouldn’t be worrying or stressed about any of this.
I thought that the plans in my heart were God’s plans too…

But I’m learning that’s not how it always works.
I’m learning that the Lord determines my steps.
He knows my future.
He knows my tomorrow.
He knows when the gas in my car is going to run out.
He knows whom I should marry.
He knows what grad school I should go to and what job I should take.
I think we would all agree that God knows these things… but here’s the kicker. Not only does He know… but He leads, He guides, He directs, HE DETERMINES OUR STEPS.
If I have only learned one thing while in college it’s this… Life is unpredictable. Sometimes in good ways. Sometimes in bitter ways. Life is a bitter-sweet surprise. But the God that I’ve grown to love over the past five years is sovereign over all the things we think are unpredictable. Although they are unpredictable to us, they are never unpredictable to Him, our Guide.

I leave you with a quote…

“We must allow God to do what He wants to do. And if you are thinking you know the will of God for your life and you are anxious to do that, you are probably in for a rude awakening because nobody knows the will of God for his entire life… Sooner or later, God’s guidance, which brings us out of darkness into light, will also bring us out of light into darkness. It is part of the way of the cross.”
Elisabeth Elliot//J.I. Packer

You and I may be in the same boat right now. God has led me into the darkness, but I rest assured that He will guide me through and out.

More to come.
Manny

Got That Degree!

2010-05-18T19:47:00.001-04:00

Got That Degree Baby!!! from This is the Thing on Vimeo.

Dad on DECK!

2010-05-05T21:34:00.000-04:00

DAD DOING HIS THING. from This is the Thing on Vimeo.

I started videotaping too late... he was going in for about ten minutes...

2010-05-05T20:05:00.000-04:00

I went to New Zealand it was awesome... see for yourself

New Zealand with Riis from This is the Thing on Vimeo.

They Just Keep Coming...

2010-05-05T17:43:00.002-04:00

Hot Commodity... from This is the Thing on Vimeo.

enjoy.

Random Videos...

2010-05-05T17:34:00.003-04:00

The random-ness continues people.
Don't judge us... unless you be judged.
enjoy.

Contra-Baby from This is the Thing on Vimeo.

Random Videos.

2010-05-05T17:32:00.000-04:00

We here at This Is The Thing decided to empty out our archives of random videos... thus declaring today random video day on This Is The Thing.

enjoy.

Drop It Like It's Hot... from This is the Thing on Vimeo.

Turn Your Eyes Upon

2010-04-29T18:15:00.000-04:00

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus from This is the Thing on Vimeo.

The end of the sermon got cut off so I'm posting the conclusion to what I was reading is here...

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD : "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message." So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

Then the word of the LORD came to me: "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. (Jeremiah 18)

Let us turn our eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such suffering from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

So don't feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children?

   My dear child, don't shrug off God's discipline,
      but don't be crushed by it either.
   It's the child he loves that he disciplines;
      the child he embraces, he also corrects.
God is educating you; that's why you must never drop out. He's treating you as dear children. This trouble you're in isn't punishment; it's training, the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God's training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God's holy best. At the time, discipline isn't much fun. It always feels like it's going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it's the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God. (Hebrews 12)

God proves to be good to
the man who passionately waits,
   to the woman who diligently seeks.
It's a good thing to quietly hope,
   quietly hope for help from God.
It's a good thing when you're young
   to stick it out through the hard times.

When life is heavy and hard to take,
   go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions:
   Wait for hope to appear.
Don't run from trouble. Take it full-face.
   The "worst" is never the worst. (Lamentations 3)

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

And the poem is here too...

When God wants to drill a man and thrill a man and skill a man...
When God wants to mold a man to play the noblest part;
When He yearns with all His heart to create so great and bold a man that all the world shall praise...
Watch His methods;
Watch His ways!

How He ruthlessly perfects whom He royally elects...
How He hammers him and hurts him,
And with mighty blows converts him
Into frail shapes of clay that only God understands. How his tortured heart is crying and he lifts beseeching hands...
How he bends but never breaks when His good he undertakes.
How He uses whom He chooses...with every purpose fuses him;
By every art induces him to try His splendour out...
God knows what He's about!

Wish You Were Here

2010-04-19T17:38:00.010-04:00

As I’m typing this I’m 35,000 miles in the air on my way back to Brisbane, Australia after spending two amazing weeks in New Zealand. I did this trip by myself and I’m pretty sure people are going to want to know about it. The list of questions usually goes something like this:

What is New Zealand like?
What did you do there?
What was your favorite part?
What are the people like?
How was the food?

So in anticipation of these questions I’m doing my best to prepare because I’m a cheater. I’m trying to process this experience so when those questions are asked I can say something cool and exciting…cause that’s what people do after trips like this, right?

One thought towers above the rest. It’s the thought that seemed to accompany every great moment.

When I spent the day in a town located in an active volcano… it was there

When I saw the stars, like I had never seen them before… it was there

When I woke up at dawn and swam with dolphins in the south pacific… it was there

With every great moment came the desire to share it with someone I cared about. I’ve traveled a little, and one thing is undeniable…the people I’ve travelled with are always far more memorable than the destinations.

It has been true of my travels and even truer in my life. I’ve experienced failure, success, sorrow, and joy. Fortunately for me I’ve been blessed with an amazing group of people to do life with. People who have helped me navigate through life’s ups and downs making the journey meaningful, memorable, and significant.

That’s what relationships do… they bring meaning, memories, and significance. When asked "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” Jesus responded, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." Jesus commands us to focus our energy building our central relationship with God, because it brings meaning and significance to ALL of creation. He also commands us to focus our energy building our peripheral relationship with people, because they bring meaning and significance to our lives.

One answer, two parts, both dealing exclusively with relationships. Maybe Jesus was on to something.

If you can’t already tell by this post, I’m peoplesick, not homesick, peoplesick. I don’t know where you are, but as soon as you get a chance please tell the people that you have the privilege of doing life with that you love them dearly and you’re grateful for what they add to your journey. Also throw in a hug; people like hugs, even uptight people who don’t like to be touched enjoy a good hug deep down inside.

Eagerly awaiting my return,
Riis

Blood On My Hands?

2010-04-14T15:16:00.000-04:00

While I write these words there are people I know that don’t know Jesus and my choosing to write this instead of share the Gospel will result in one of two things. Either they will continue living a life that is Hell on earth, or they will die and go to Hell.

Later on this evening while I go watch Godspell people I know and love will continue living lives in such that is completely unaffected by the Gospel, and the radical love of Christ.

In a couple weeks when I walk across a stage to receive my degree in Biblical and Theological Studies at Gordon College people I know and love will be battling with depression, drug addiction, sexual abuse, identity confusion, with absolutely no solution or answer to their issues.

While I enjoy light, they will continue living in darkness.
While I bask in God’s love, they will continue to search, and search, and search for true love.
While I experience God’s grace, they experience the wrath of a God who has let them chase their own desires.
While I sit in the library of my Christian college doing absolutely nothing to change the present circumstances or destiny of people deeply loved by God, people will read this and then move on with life.

A couple of months ago I heard a sermon on evangelism that convicted me to begin praying for ten unsaved friends/loved ones… just ten. So I went to my apartment, got my journal and began my list of ten people I would begin praying for, and eventually talking to about how Jesus has changed my life. I began writing my list of ten names… but got stuck at three names. So I started looking through Facebook friends… and I got to five names. I’ve been stuck at five names ever since. Every couple days or so I glace at the list, I think about those five names, but that’s it. I haven’t prayed for those people, I haven’t spoken to them, and really if I was to be really honest with myself – my actions have shown that I don’t really care. And I think that breaks God’s heart more than the fact that they don’t know Him.

Last night I saw Hillsong United in concert and as they sang “Mighty To Save” I began to think of those five names. I remembered that God is actually mighty to save those names on my list, but it requires me to step out of the boat and talk to them. All it takes is simply sharing what Jesus ha done in my life… that’s it.

I have come to the painful realization that, the hearts and souls of people matter.
They matter to God, and for the first time they matter to me as well.

I will make a difference.
I will not be ashamed of the Gospel.
I will not watch quietly while people I know and love pave their roads to Hell.

This may seem radical to some, but it is simply reality.

Reality is that WE are God’s “Plan A” – His only natural means of sharing the Gospel message with people. We are His “Plan A” and there is no “Plan B.”

Reality is that we are commanded by God to be witnesses (not apologists) of his love, and peace, and grace, and power, and freedom. If we aren’t witnesses than we’re disobedient.

Reality is that we don’t have forever. Satan’s grip on people’s lives and minds will tighten the longer we wait.

Reality is that one glorious day we will see Jesus face to face, and abide in God’s presence where there is fullness of joy forever while the people we love and care about…

Read this and go bear fruit.
Please.

(Thanks Tiff)

In Sickness and In Health

2010-04-06T20:17:00.003-04:00

My mom has a medical condition known as fibromyalgia, as well as rheumatoid arthritis, and a slight case of claustrophobia. All that to say sometimes I would imagine that it’s hard for my dad to love, but he makes it look so easy. And for that, he’s my hero.

For the longest time my mom has needed an MRI. Basically you get in this machine that scans and X-rays your body, at least that’s what it seems like to me. But for some reason my mom feels like she’s being put into a casket each time she gets an MRI and she freaks out. I’m not trying to make my mother out to be a loony fruit-basket, she literally freaks out. This has happened four times now, and every single time my dad simply calms her down, holds her close, tells the nurse to stop the procedure, and drives her home.

Because of my mom’s medical condition she has to go to the hospital frequently. Sometimes just for checkups but sometimes for emergencies. My dad has taken several days off from work just to take my mom to the hospital and take care of her when she gets home. He never complains. He never even regrets marrying her. If he has to get her dressed, that’s what he does. If he has to wake up in the middle of the night to give my mom medicine or put a heating patch on her arm or shoulder that’s what he does. If he has to brush her hair because she can’t lift her arms, that’s what he does.

I have an endless supply of stories to tell and things to say about my father. He is easily one of the funniest and bazaar people to ever walk planet earth, but I’ve decided to write about his love for my mom because honestly it inspires me. I hope I’m able to love my wife with the sacrificial, self-denying love that my dad has shown to my mother.

I wonder if when the preacher asked “In sickness and in health?”, at their wedding if my dad ever thought he would have to prove his words were true. He probably wasn’t thinking, I feel like most people don’t. They just want to get to the last “I do” so they can kiss. But at my wedding I’m going to mean it. And hopefully my dad will remind me to live it as well.

Thanks Dad
I acknowledge you and I really love you

Jesus In Their Eyes

2010-04-06T20:14:00.003-04:00

Jesus in Their Eyes from This is the Thing on Vimeo.

Video made by Jesse Poole, thanks man.

I almost forgot…

2010-03-29T03:32:00.008-04:00

Isn’t it funny that some of the most amazing experiences we have in life and the emotions that accompany them are so easy to forget?

During my time here in Australia I have been able to build relationships with some incredibly amazing people. The other night, one of those amazing people accompanied me to church. She’s from a small town in Ontario, Canada and has no church background aside from a few Christmas services and a frightening encounter with an angry preacher at a funeral.

So it goes without saying (even though I’m saying it) that at the end of the night I was eager to hear what she thought.

At first she spoke of the huge auditorium and the beautiful campus that housed it (It’s cool…It’s Hillsong), and how it was in sharp contrast to the churches in her town, which all happen to be on Church St. (Go figure).

Then she hit me with a couple of statements I wasn’t prepared for.

She told me that she had never been in a room with so many passionate people. To that point in her life she didn’t think it was even possible for people to be that passionate about anything. She said she could tell it wasn’t just a whole bunch of people in a room, but it was a real genuine community. From the worship, to the preaching, to the people… she was blown away.

Seeing the look on her face, and hearing the tone of her voice, made me realize a few things I almost forgot.

I almost forgot the effect that a passion for God can have on someone …

I almost forgot the look in a person’s eyes when He awakens hope in their heart…

I almost forgot how amazing it was that His passion and His hope are always active in me because of the love he showed in His Son.

Psalm 103
1 Praise the LORD, O my soul;  
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, O my soul,  
and forget not all his benefits-
3 who forgives all your sins  
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit  
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things  
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Let us never take for granted the awesome power of God in our lives…

Let us never forget, that same power can change the life of another in an instant.

Please don’t be like me and forget, even for a moment, the goodness of God. I encourage you to carve out some time in your week to reflect on the goodness of God in your life. Reflect on those moments when he “showed up” and left no doubt that He exists and that He hears your call.

Love, Life, Christ
Riis

Love. Tested and Approved.

2010-03-22T15:59:00.001-04:00

I used to think my parents had an awful marriage. It’s been wrought with lies, regrets, disappointments and perpetual setbacks, namely my dad’s drug addiction, which literally almost tore our family apart.

I’ve watched my mom stand perplexed as to why my dad continued to choose drugs over our family.

I’ve watched my mom cry in shame to a landlord because we couldn’t pay the rent.

I’ve had to painfully listen as my mom explained that we didn’t have groceries because my dad wasted all of our family’s income on drugs.

I used to see all of this and think my parents needed a divorce. My mom would try to explain to me that she loved my dad and leaving him wasn’t an option. She would always say, “It’s not right to kick a man while he’s down. Your dad needs me.”

I never understood that when I was younger, but I’m starting to now. I used to think that I would one day grow up, get married, and “get it right.” I would be Bill Cosby and my wife would be Phylicia Rashad. Love wouldn’t be difficult at all. It would just come naturally. I wouldn’t ever be selfish or dependent like my dad. And my wife would never argue or be mad at me, plus she’d prance around the house looking cute and doing chores while speaking Spanish on the side just because I like how it sounds.

I’ve since waken up from that fantasy to realize that the test of love is not how perfect it seems to be on the outside, but the hardships it has endured. It’s trials and pain and hardship that proves whether love is true and strong. I used to think my mom was dumb for staying with my dad… now I see that she wasn’t dumb at all. She just understood love more than I did. She understood real unconditional love.

My parents didn’t prepare me for perfection, but they did prepare me for the reality of true love, involving sacrifice and commitment. Any sinful selfish couple learning to love one another has hard work cut out for them, and I couldn’t have picked two parents better suited to teach me that than mine. My parents have taught me more about relationships, love, and marriage than any “picture perfect” parents could have. Now, I thank God they didn’t get a divorce, because they have proven that it is possible to be faithful in the face of uncertain and hard times, and through the darkest of moments.

Do my parents have a perfect marriage now? Absolutely not.

Are there plenty of marriages better off than theirs? More healthy? Absolutely there are.

But I don’t know any two people who have had to prove their love for one another through more challenging circumstances. And for that I respect what they have gone through together. My parents’ love is steadfast, faithful and unrelenting. I don’t think I’ll be in circumstances like my parents. But I still want the kind of love they share. A love as resilient as theirs’.

When I was younger my parent’s marriage disappointed me, now it gives me hope. I hope that my wife has the patience and resilience of my mother. And I can only pray that the gentle and compassionate heart of my father has rubbed off over the years. (I’ll blog about my dad’s love next… so come back.)

I’ve learned that life is not Hollywood.
I’m learning about real love.
Real commitment.
Real risk…

I hope I’m ready.

New

2010-03-22T15:57:00.003-04:00

New from This is the Thing on Vimeo.

Revolution143 is in the middle of a series entitled "NEW". This is the video. Enjoy

Raindrops on the Roof

2010-03-01T19:02:00.002-05:00

Hello people!!!! I’m Riis, Manny’s best friend, or best-looking friend; I’m fine with both. I’m currently studying abroad in Brisbane, Australia and I thought it would be a great time to jump into the blogging business and check in with all you beautiful people.

I have the privilege of living with a cool old Australian lady named Ursula. She rents out the rooms in her home every semester to students at the near by university. The first day I met Ursula she told me a story about a Korean student and a Chinese student that she housed a while back that made me think a quite a bit.

It doesn’t rain much here in Brisbane, but one night while the two students were living with Ursula there was a huge rainstorm. Thunder, lightning, winds, heavy rain…the whole nine yards. The next morning the Korean student expressed how frightened she was the by the storm. Ursula told me that she wondered why the Korean student was so frightened by the storm; surely at some point in her life she had seen and heard a storm like that…right? Shortly after the Chinese student explained to Ursula why the Korean student was so frightened. It turns out that she was not frightened by the wind, or the rain, by the thunder, or even the lightening…she was frightened by the sound of raindrops on the roof. For you or me the sound of raindrops on the roof seems like a forgone conclusion during rainstorm…that’s just what happens. We have all heard the noise, we may not hear it frequently but surely it’s a familiar sound…right?

For this Korean student whose whole life has been spent living in high-rise apartments in metropolitan Korea the sound of raindrops on the roof is not familiar, nor is calming, or even a foregone conclusion during a rainstorm…it’s frightening. When we think of someone’s immersion into a foreign culture we tend to focus on things like the language barrier, behavior, or cuisine. Seldom do we focus on the subtle differences between cultures that can make a world of difference when it comes comfort and understanding.

This little story had such a huge impact on me because… well…I’m in love with the Church (not your first guess?). I absolutely love the Church. I’m not talking about the building on Sundays that some of us go to where we talk and act funny, where we perform a whole bunch of rituals, and hear a bunch of things that don’t have any effect on our lives (and most importantly don’t have anything to do with Jesus). I’m talking about the radiant bride of Christ, the conduit through which the world will know and experience the amazing, transforming love of God. That’s the Church I love deeply, and because I love Jesus and his Church, I love the lost.

I think we often underestimate how much of a cultural collision occurs when someone steps foot into a Church. I’m sure we fully understand that a Church service or gathering may be new, different, or possibly even strange to someone who has never been in that environment, but have we ever considered the possibility that an experience at a church could be frightening? If your like me this idea is extremely frustrating because there is no possible way for us to know what type of experiences people bring into Church when the step through the doors. The probability of someone walking into a Church and being offended, uncomfortable, or frightened is quite high. So where does this leaves us?

I think being a follower of Jesus is such a privilege because we are entitled to so many invaluable nuggets of truth that help us navigate through life. In this case we don’t have to have all the answers…all I have do is receive and reflect. We are promised a perfect love that drives out all fear. For our sake, and for the lives of those around us we should prioritize saturating every area of our life with the perfect, transforming, and comforting love of Christ. Trusting that people will ultimately see his perfect love working in and through us. Surely his love is bright enough to outshine anything that may distract, offend, or frighten anyone when they walk into a Church. So I encourage you… RECEIVE his love… REFLECT his love so that you can truly be a child of God “without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe”(Philippians 2:14).

Love, Life, Christ

Riis

Tia's Debut

2010-02-10T13:31:00.001-05:00

Tia Freestyling. from Manny Arango on Vimeo.

The Blog Is Back... By Popular Demand

2010-02-05T20:28:00.000-05:00

Words are extremely powerful.

Last week I was meeting with my counselor, he interrupted me while I was speaking and started asking me a series of questions. After I answered he informed me that he thought I showed multiple symptoms of ADHD. Although I do complain about having a short attention span, I rarely feel as though my daily life and work is inhibited by ADHD. By the time I left his office I was fully convinced that I was plagued with the inability to focus, finish tasks, or sit still. I walked out of my counselor’s office ready to make an appointment with my doctor and get a prescription for Adorall. My counselor’s words worked, they affected me, because words are powerful.

A couple of days ago, I was telling my best friend Riis about my counselor’s “diagnosis”. I expected him to brush the comment off and say, “I could have told you that…” But surprisingly that’s not what happened. He didn’t believe that I had it. He was convinced that I didn’t… and somehow he convinced me too. Because words are powerful.

In a matter of four days I went from not caring about ADHD, to thinking everything in my life would soon change – from study habits to medication intake. Simply based on the words that had been spoken to me I believed two radically different pictures of myself. And will also choose to paint a different picture of myself.

My friend told me that really I was just lazy and bored and that even if I did have ADHD I should be thankful that self control is a fruit of the Spirit. I think he’s right… ADHD would have been a sweet way to get away with being disorganized and handing assignment in late. It’s much easier to have ADHD than it is to be self controlled, disciplined, and mature.

Whether I have ADHD is irrelevant. What I choose to do with the dreams and desires and gifts God has given me is completely in my control. I’m thankful for friends that speak life to my Spirit and guard my heart. Words are powerful. We literally have the power to tear down and build up the people around us based on the words we speak.

Surround yourself with good words… and you will flourish. Speak love and those around you will grow.

Thanks Riis

Me + Dad = Sexy

2010-01-09T20:04:00.001-05:00

Dreams + Urbana.

2010-01-07T10:20:00.004-05:00

It's almost impossible to dream when you live in a bubble, to imagine a new and different world when all you know is your own. I think this is one of the greatest challenges for American Christians my age. We live in so many bubbles. I live in so many isolated bubbles. There's the "Gordon bubble". For a while I was in the "YWAM bubble". I've lived in my own church's bubble my whole life. And the biggest of all is the "American bubble".

Bubbles blind the eyes of faith, they keep us from dreaming, they hinder ambition, they limit the scope of our imagination in the exchange for security. We trade the inevitable tomorrow for the guarantee of safety. We trade endless possibilities for the predictable. I don't think we do this intentionally though. I think most people don't even know that there is a world of great challenges and opportunities awaiting them.

The greatest part of Urbana was being surrounded by students so full of dreams. It's easier to dream without skeptics around. Hearing the stories of an older generation who chose to dream made me believe that I could do the same. I held the 1946 decision card of Dave Howard, college roomate of Jim Elliot. He made a decision to dream 63 years ago, and as I looked into that old man's eyes I could see no regret. I've also made a decision to dream.

I don't blame you if you choose to live in your bubble instead of embracing crazy dreams and embarking upon wild journeys. I wish I could go back to a time when my dreams didn't ache within me. A time before I saw the world. Before its daunting challenges and opportunities didn't light a flame in my soul. But I have chosen to dream. Or rather God's dreams have chosen me. And I can't return now, I can only invite you to join me in dreaming...

Of a world where people with HIV/AIDS aren't ostracized by the Church and don't have to die in shame.

Of a world where people truly experience the unconditional love of Christ.

Of a world where being born into poverty doesn't mean dieing in poverty.

Of a world where the dreams of a kid born in a township can be realized and exceeded.

Of a world where love abounds, and where reconciliation is a lived reality not simply an ideal.

Of a Church that actually serves the poor and oppressed. Of a Bride with healing and freedom as the the train of her gown.

I dream of greatness.

"It is possible to avoid a multitude of sorrows through the cultivation of an insignificant life. Indeed, if a person's ambition is to avoid the troubles of life, the recipe is simple: shed your ambitions in every direction, cut the wings of every soaring purpose, and seek a life with the fewest contacts and relations. If you want to get through life with the smallest trouble, you must reduce yourself to the smallest compass. Tiny souls can dodge through life; bigger souls are blocked on every side. As soon as a person begins to enlarge his or her life, resistances are multiplied. Let a person remove petty selfish purposes and enthrone Christ, and sufferings will be increased on every side."
-John Henry Jowett, British pastor in the 19th century.

I'm Advertizing Three Books...

2010-01-02T22:06:00.004-05:00

These are the three books I'm currently reading. This is the thing... you need to read them too because they are amazing well written books by people I deeply respect.

Happy New Year.

I Met Shane Claiborne

2010-01-02T22:00:00.003-05:00

People tend to act weird around people they admire. I stood in line today to get a book signed by a famous author and watched countless individuals stare, fidget, make corny jokes, and ask friends to take their pictures. It made me wonder why truly great people make such an impact on us and cause us to act all weird. I think it’s because secretly we wish we could be like them, we wish we had their guts. So instead we claim to support their message… we buy multiple copies of their books get those books signed, and post our pictures with them on Facebook. The author was Shane Claiborne and whether we agree with him, I think we all wish we could be like him. We all wish we were great. We all wish our lives could make a difference. We all wish we were courageous and radical and followed Jesus in a way that shook things up. As I stood in that line today I came to the conclusion that I was going to be great. I don’t think it was a selfish thought; I simply want my life to matter. There’s something about greatness that can’t be explained in words or summed up with adjectives. There’s something about greatness that goes beyond success or talent. There’s something authentic about greatness that resonates in our heart and soul… we can feel it.

The other day Uncle Paul made a comment that resonated with me. He said that average leaders care about what people think about them whereas great leaders are concerned with what they can get others to believe about themselves. He was paraphrasing a British evangelist
named Steve Chalke who said, "Leadership is not what I can get you to think about me. Leadership is what I can you to think about yourself." My hope is that like Jesus, I can help others to believe in the possibilities of what God can do through them.

I’m learning to be great by learning to serve. We’ll see how this goes…

For Trent and Riis... just because

2009-12-05T07:22:00.002-05:00

Thomas Merton Quote

2009-12-05T07:12:00.002-05:00

Luke passed this quote along to me... and so I'm passing it along to al of you.

"Most of you, even with all that you have to suffer, are much better off than you realize. Yet the heart of man can be full of so much pain, even when things are exteriorly "all right". It becomes all the more difficult because today we are used to thinking that there are explanations for everything. But there is no explanation for most of what goes on in our own hearts... No use resorting to mental tranquilizers that even religious explanations sometimes offer. Faith must be deeper than that, rooted in the unknown and in the abyss of darkness that is the ground of our being. No use teasing the darkness to try to make answers grow out of it. But if we learn how to have a deep inner patience...God solves them...but do not expect to see how. Just learn to wait, and do what you can and help other people."
-Thomas Merton. The Road to Joy.

My Thoughts on HIV/AIDS after Living in Africa.

2009-12-03T01:55:00.000-05:00

What breaks my heart, disgusts, and upsets me more than anything else concerning HIV/AIDS is the religious and social stigma that accompanies the disease. A guy by the name of Doug Fountain was on the verge of tears as he told our group the story of Mary; a UCU student that died of AIDS a couple of years back. Doug was giving our group a presentation on HIV/AIDS and claimed she would probably still be alive if she hadn’t been ashamed to get treatment. Mary kept her condition a secret, for fear she would be shunned by the Church, and died.

As if having a deadly disease isn’t bad enough the Church often adds shame, and ostracism. It may be very easy to cast judgment on the church in Africa and say it’s wrong and evil that they would ever ostracize anyone with a deadly disease. But we do the same exact thing. The issue may not be AIDS that you feel as though you need to hide or be ashamed of, but the issue sure is sex, or pornography, or cutting. Or maybe I'm the only one with real issues. The one thing we can learn from Mary is that secrets kill, you may not physically die, but emotionally and spiritually, secrets will eventually kill you.

How does the religion that kills people like Mary also claim to simultaneously follow Jesus? Jesus forgave and redeemed the humanity of the most shameful sinners of his society. He was scandalously popular among “women of the night”, tax collectors, lepers, Samaritans and other social outcasts. How does the Church claim to follow in the footsteps of Jesus when there are students dying due to shame at our universities? Or when there are Christians secretly struggling with drug addiction, pornography, and eating disorders; hiding in church pews across America? We surely cannot claim to follow Christ.

Jesus constantly challenged pharisaic religiosity with audacity and chutzpah. He relentlessly opposed religion that heaped on guilt, shame, condemnation, or secrecy. I believe that Jesus didn’t tolerate that kind of religion because it breeds pride and ultimately kills people; literally in Mary’s case. In the face of strict legalism, Jesus invited his followers to take upon them his yoke, which was light and his burden, which was easy. In translating The Message, Eugene Peterson paraphrases this portion of Scripture:

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly.”

I would be willing to bet Mary’s life that she was “burned out on religion” which Jesus would have set her free from had He had the chance. It’s very unfortunate that his Bride couldn’t afford Him that opportunity. But maybe Jesus’ offer isn’t intended for those with HIV/AIDS.
In one of Jesus’ last teachings before being crucified he condemns the Pharisees and teachers of the Law to hell because of their dead religious legalism. He knows that their religious system won’t save them and warns the people, “They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.” Jesus continues,

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to… Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.”

The difference between the religion of the Pharisees and that of Jesus is the freedom that following Jesus produces. Freedom, that comes from the ability to be open and honest without fear of judgment and condemnation; the freedom to respond to grace. Jesus never condones sin, but neither does He condemn sinners, He convicts, forgives and sets free. Why is it so hard for the Church to do that as well? It is as if Christians are afraid that if we start loving sinners we have somehow compromised our moral convictions. It is as if Christians think offering sinners grace isn’t fair. For some reason, I think Jesus’ forgiveness and grace makes people uncomfortable because it’s not fair. As if it’s too good to be true.

John 8 provides a powerful illustration of how I believe Christians are supposed to deal with HIV/AIDS, and any other issues the Church deems taboo. Religious leaders bring Jesus a woman that has been caught in adultery, and deserves to be stoned. Jesus says the person who is without sin should cast the first stone. Then Jesus says something that I believe is profound, “neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” Jesus does what the Church finds so difficult. Challenge people to change without the unnecessary condemnation. Jesus doesn’t ignore the woman’s sinful lifestyle, but He doesn’t condemn her either. Hopefully sooner than later people will begin to flock to Christian environments because of the love and acceptance they feel. Hopefully sooner than later Christians will start loving people like Jesus.

The Church worldwide is constantly tempted to fall into the trap of legalism and religion. Hopefully we can grasp hold of grace in time to care for a broken and dying world. Maybe in the process Christ will heal a broken and HIV positive Church as well.

Another Flashback from Thailand.

2009-12-03T01:10:00.002-05:00

Tow Quotes and Countless More Questions.

2009-11-25T08:19:00.003-05:00

"There are years that ask questions and years that answer."
-Zora Neale Hurston

During the past two or so years I've been confronted with more of the world than I could have ever expected. I've visited Rwanda and learned about a genocide first hand and asked God how are humans are even capable of such large scale murder. I've walked through red light districts in Thailand. And asked God is there even hope for a world where a "Disneyland for pedophiles" exists. I've heard firsthand stories of HIV/AIDS victims and asked God why He doesn't choose to heal more often. I've lived in Uganda for the past three months and I'm asking God how can I even begin to address the social issues of my time. I'm asking what it means to really follow Christ in such a broken world. I have so many questions. About my calling. About my identity. About the world we dwell and the gospel we proclaim. And for the first time I'm content with having no answers. All the questions in my soul have produced a tension that only produces more question. I never want to stop wrestling with the questions of this life, of this generation. My only hope is that in wrestling and grappling with the questions of my heart Christ becomes an ever more relevant answer. My other hope is that He causes my life to be some sort of answer as well.

"...I would like to beg you dear Sir, as well as I can, to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer."
- Rainer Maria Rilke (1903) in Letters to a Young Poet

Sharing Some Joy

2009-11-19T12:21:00.005-05:00

Pietermaritzburg, ZA

June 2009

No Words Neccesary...

2009-11-16T06:29:00.002-05:00

Me and Brian... while nobody was looking.

Funny Stories from the Journey...

2009-11-12T03:21:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago I embarked on my “rural home stay”, meaning I spent 10 days in the bush/village completely disconnected with society… maybe that’s an exaggeration. I learned lots of “life changing” lessons… but you’ll have to wait for that. For now let’s just laugh…

 The first night I get there I have to poop (I had the runs) so my host dad leads me out to the pit latrine… which is basically a tin shack with a hole in the floor… a step down from a squatty potty although there is still lots of squatting involved. So, I thought I had positioned my anal sphincter directly over the hole so I would poop right in, nice and neat… NO SIR. My diarrhea was a bit more explosive than I had originally anticipated and I pooped all over the floor of the pit latrine. I finally cleaned everything up and open the door to find out that my host dad had been waiting for me the entire time I was in the pit latrine, meaning he heard everything… and trust me there was a lot to hear because it was the loudest poop of my life.

Later that night I had to vomit but couldn’t make it outside fast enough because I couldn’t see anything (there was no electricity in the whole village…) so I vomited on my family’s floor. Needless to say I felt bad about vomiting on my new family's floor, until I found out that the floor was made out of cow dung and ash… cow poop and ash… I stopped apologizing at that point. Perspective changes everything.

My last night in the village my family slaughtered a chicken for me. Then they informed me that it’s customary for the guests to eat the gizzards and other chicken organs… I almost gagged in my host mother’s face. Oh, I almost forgot! We were dissecting the chicken and I swear I see an egg. My dad then asks, “You want to eat that egg? If we had let the chicken live one more day it would have laid the egg and we would have had a baby chick.” So by this point I’m still wondering what exactly is going to happen to the baby chick-egg… we sit down to eat dinner and my host mom popped that sucker right in her mouth like it was a hard-boiled egg… she ate a chicken fetus!!! Needless to say I gagged all the way through dinner and nearly vomited again. Oh... I definitely didn’t eat the chicken organs. Do you know me?

Other than that it was great I just had to get those stories out of the way…

Drew and Cameron… if you happen to read the blog post below know that I love you, and God has used to teach a valuable lesson…

Hard Lesson Learned.

2009-11-12T03:20:00.002-05:00

When I found out that I was sharing a room with Cameron and Drew I almost asked if I could switch, but I knew that Seth (one of my trip leaders) would laugh and say no, so I simply chuckled and proceeded to my room. If I had to name two people in USP that I’m the least likely to be friends with it would be Drew and Cameron. In fact, plainly speaking, I just don’t like them. On each of our IMME weekend trips I have literally prayed that I wouldn’t have to share a room with Drew and when Cameron speaks in class I cringe. There’s no explanation for why I don’t like them – I just don’t. We just don’t “click”.

As we arrived at Sipi Falls, Seth gave me my room key and my room assignment and I was certain that God was in heaven laughing at me. I walked to my room and resolved to thinking God had done this to me on purpose. I still believe God was the culprit behind it, only now I couldn’t be more grateful.

If the same scenario had played out just weeks prior I probably would have had an attitude most of the time and simply kept quiet, but the beauty of community that I saw in Kapturwa made it impossible for me to do that. Community in Kapturwa wasn’t a commodity to be chosen based on preference and personality. Community thrived because of an underlying commitment that people had to one another. Unlike many Americans who have the option of “shopping” for churches, friends, spouses, houses and neighborhoods most people in Kapturwa are committed to the communities they live in; there is no exit option that so many Americans take full advantage of. They are tied to the land and to one another in interdependent relationship. There is no choosing who one’s neighbor will be, yet the command to love is obeyed. There is no choice as to what church one will attend since there is only one church in the community I lived yet the command to love is obeyed. There is no choice in the matter of relationship and community yet cords of love bind the people together and they are free. Free to experience true community, true reconciliation, and true relationship.

In Irresistible Revolution, Shane Claiborne says, “I feel sorry that so many of us have settled for a lonely world of independence and riches when we could all experience the fullness of life in community and independence.” So often I confuse freedom with “the lonely world of independence” that Shane talks about, but the truth is that although community requires a sacrifice of certain independence, it’s a lifestyle that Christ sets us free to live, meaning it’s a lifestyle loaded with greater amounts of freedom, not less.

I’ve heard it said that love must be freely chosen. But what if I can’t trust my own judgment? What if, because of my sin nature, I only choose relationships and friendships with selfish motives? In a world where relationships are often reduced to commodities, I have lots to learn from the people of Kapturwa. While at Sipi Falls I learned that Cameron and Drew are great, funny, smart guys, but I would have never known that if it were dependant upon my own choice. I learned that they have interesting life stories, but would have never heard them. I learned that there are more similarities between us than differences, but I would have never discovered that. I would have missed out on encountering people with infinite value.

Typically, when getting to know people, if I find out something about someone or observe a personality flaw that I don’t like or that “turns me off” my natural instinct is to disengage or draw back. Unfortunately it seems as though Jesus’ reaction is the exact opposite. He draws even closer when He observes the negative qualities and flaws in a person. Is this commitment to relationship supposed to be my response as well? As a follower of Christ am I not obliged to display this radical call to commitment and community in my life? Did Christ “invest” into relationships as if they were commodities? Or did He not even love Judas, who stole from the group’s resources and would later betray Jesus? What if relationship, like forgiveness, isn’t a matter of choice for those who follow Christ, but a matter of commitment to one another? When Christ called the disciples to follow him did he not also call them into relationship with one another?

It seems that most people choose friends the same way they choose their wardrobe or the car they will drive – to secure or improve their social status. Most people want to be friends with people who are “cool”, smart, popular, or beautiful. Whether we are in junior High School, College, or checking out a new church, people choose friends to secure their place in the societal totem poles we erect. I’ve probably been guilty of this since grade school, but I believe Christ sets us free from operating in relationship through this dysfunctional means. I believe he calls His followers to radically love one another, to draw closer to one another even when the natural tendency is to disengage, to base our relationships on something more solid that social status, attraction, or mutual interest. Henri Nouwen agrees in his book Compassion, writing that:

“In and through Christ we receive a new identity that enables us to say, ‘I am not the esteem I can collect through competition, but the love I have freely received from God’… Through union with God, we are lifted out of our competitiveness with each other into the divine wholeness. By sharing in the wholeness of the one in whom no competition exists, we can enter into new compassionate relationship with each other.”

I have become convinced that Christ doesn’t set us free to simply choose the coolest Christian friends we can find in order to validate and secure our identity in the world. Christ sets us free and makes community possible through a deep commitment to Him and others. Christ sets us free from measuring others and ourselves by a standard that doesn’t exist. Christ sets us free to love and love freely.

Flashback from Thailand...

2009-11-10T00:39:00.002-05:00

Tiff this is for you... enjoy.

More Pictures...

2009-10-21T02:11:00.007-04:00

My crew... kinda

Me and Ronnie. He's the man.

Of course I videotape EVERYTHING...

Ronnie and Ruthie

Ruthie... I think she's beautiful. You should too.

Family Matters...

2009-10-20T06:36:00.010-04:00

Me, Brian, and Mama Aida.
...one time I saw Mama's boobs. Africans are pretty lax as far as hiding the boobs goes. I've actually seen lots of boobs while here because everyone breast feeds... in public. I've seen women whip 'em out at church, in traffic, in mid-conversation, at a wedding, generally whenever babies start crying get ready to see some boobies.

For the first two weeks in Uganda we called our little sister Lucy. No one corrected us. We eventually learned that her name is Ruthie... we hang out with her a lot because she's cool. She taught us how to do laundry and sometimes irons our clothes.

My baby brother Ronnie. One time he fell asleep on my chest... it was so cute and I felt like a dad. Then I felt something really warm on my stomach... Ronny had peepeed all over me. My t-shirt, my wife-beater, my shorts and my boxers were all soaked. I realized then that fatherhood could wait I'm very happy that I'm the youngest child.

Arianna is the youngest member of our family. She literally screams at the top of her lungs whenever I touch her, but she shut up long enough to let me get this picture.

I was really excited about the EvangeCube... I don't know why, it's actually pretty lame. I'm not sorry if that offends anyone.

I do this a lot. Thinking and reading takes up a huge chunk of my time, which is good for me because I'm normally quite dumb and in a rush.

This Is The Thing about Presence

2009-10-12T08:16:00.002-04:00

The only reason I believed Father Gerald is because he’s a priest, and for some odd reason I feel like priests don’t lie. I could be wrong and I probably am; there must be priests that lie but I don’t believe Father Gerald is one of them plus his stories seemed too bad to be made up.

We were on a weekend trip to Luweero (a rural village town in Uganda), having tea with Father Gerald as he explained what his ministry involved. He told us about a time he found a woman waiting by the side of the road holding twins in her arms. Both of her babies were sick with malaria and she had been waiting for hours by the roadside hoping that someone would give her a ride to the hospital, so Father Gerald gave her a ride. By the time they arrived at the hospital both babies were dead. Father Gerald gave her a ride back home.

He told us about a young girl named Joy that was very fond of him. I don’t blame her; I had only known Father Gerald for fifteen minutes and I was fond of him – his gentle young voice made his tall strong frame inviting and comforting. (We had lost electricity so maybe the candles helped as well.) Joy had told him before his last trip to the States that she thought she would be dead by the time he returned. He assured her that she would be fine, and she would see him soon. Father Gerald came back to Luweero with a suitcase full of things for Joy only to learn that she had died one day prior to his arrival. He kept one of the stuffed animals intended for Joy to remember her. He said these things hurt him very much.

“At the parish house we eat meat and we take sugar. And I know my parishioners only eat meat or take sugar maybe one time in a year. They are very, very poor. This is very painful for me,” he explained. We didn’t know where he was going with this string of stories, but then he asked, “What can I do? What is there for me to do for them? The best thing I can offer is my presence and my smile – that’s all I can give,” Father Gerald explained as he offered us his smile.

A month or so ago I wouldn’t have been able to appreciate Father Gerald’s offer, because I didn’t understand the value of presence. In The Primal Vision John Taylor explains that, “our presence to one another, eye to eye and face to face, dispels the isolation and lifts our hearts. Africans believe that presence is the dept they owe to one another. The primal vision is of a world of presences, of face-to-face meetings… It is a universe of I and Thou.”

John Taylor and Father Gerald both understand something about presence that neither I, nor many in the “West” have fully taken hold of. Why is presence the dept we owe to one another? How can the other be ‘Thou’? The primal/African view of presence acknowledges the mystical and divine within each of us and restores and elevates the value of our humanity. To Father Gerald, the poor people of Luweero have names and faces and in offering his presence to them he acknowledges and uplifts the divine within them – the image of God. And he offers the presence of the Holy Spirit that dwells in him. It truly is the best thing he can offer.

In the ‘West’ we have not mastered presence, the art of simply being present with people, acknowledging the divine spark in one another. The true and complete nature of our humanity cries out to be acknowledged in known in a culture that reduces people to bodies or a means to an end. What the African worldview asserts is that the presence that dwells among us and in us is the “tremendous Presence in the midst of the world from which our first parent hid themselves… the Presence which Moses knew, eye to eye and face to face… the way of presence is not merely a new missionary method, but God’s own way of drawing Adam into his embrace and lifting the despoiled and threatened Creation up into his peace.” With this understanding of the Divine presence it is no mystery, yet still mysterious, that history moves to a climax with a God choosing to “dwell among us.” It is no mystery, yet still mysterious, that when we gather in His name, He is present. It is no mystery, yet still mysterious, that whatever we do for the “least of these” we do unto Him since He is present. When we become aware of the Presence dwelling within and among us, we too will suddenly offer our presence and a smile, knowing we are taking part in the divine work of redemption.

I was right about Father Gerald, he didn’t lie – the best thing he could offer his community was not money or anything physical but the only divine gift available – his presence; and as a bonus – his smile.

The Jump...

2009-10-12T07:20:00.004-04:00

For some reason I can't explain I decided to bungee jump... it was fun and I survived. Enjoy!

This Is The Thing About Expectations.

2009-09-28T07:48:00.002-04:00

Florence, my 23-year-old “sister”, looked not only shocked but also disappointed as Brian (my roommate) told her Jesus probably wasn’t white and Americans didn’t write the Bible. As she recovered from her mild state of shock, she asked us one more time, I guess to be certain that we understood her question, “Jesus, he didn’t look like you [Brian]?” As far as I recall, I’ve never shared identical emotions with someone for completely different reasons. Florence and I both sat in our dimly lit kitchen – shocked and disappointed.

I noticed the blue eyed fair skinned portrait of Jesus that hung in our sitting room within minutes of arriving at my home stay, but never would I have imagined that my family actually thought the portrait was accurate. I had lots of expectations about Christianity/spirituality in Africa as a whole. I naturally associated the words: miraculous, charismatic, Holy Spirit, and healing with “African Christianity”. All those words were synonymous with Christianity in Africa, at least a month ago. I expected to attend charismatic church services and see blind people see and deaf people hear – literally. I at least thought I would hear testimonies from people who had been raised from the dead. I even thought there was a slight possibility I would hear the audible voice of God.

These stereotypes are not far-fetched based on stories I’ve head about Christianity in the “Global South”. I was expecting to finally see what all the hype was about. But in my first month, instead of encountering what I thought would be similar to the book of Acts I listened to an African pastor describe how to use an “EvangeCube” (manufactured in Tennessee). Instead of listening to African songs African drums in a worship service with no time restraints I’ve endured brutally boring Anglican liturgy (manufactured in England), and contemporary worship songs. The stereotype that I had of African Christianity is that it would be – African.

So as Florence and I looked at each other's shocked expressions the last of our stereotypes came crashing down. I destroyed her hope in a white Jesus and she destroyed my hope in an African one; I guess we’ll both have to settle for a Jewish Jesus for now. I’m disappointed in how influential “Western/white” culture is, but I’m not convinced that the expression of faith I have found here is anything but authentic and genuine. I may have not found what I thought I would, but it’s not less “Ugandan”, and the Jewish Jesus I know probably doesn’t care as much as the African American Manny that faith and culture don’t collide as neatly as I would have thought. As more stereotypes are dissembled, I’m ready to encounter this culture on its terms, not mine. Hopefully, in that process I’ll learn to also encounter Jesus, also on his terms, not mine.

The Real Hotel Rwanda

2009-09-11T01:18:00.002-04:00

So we just so happened to bump into Paul Rusesabagina outside of the hotel that the movie Hotel Rwanda is based on. After spending time in Rwanda learning about the genocide I now know that the movie is very inaccurate. Paul Rusesabagina is a true hero though... he's legit. The UN... not so much.

Enjoy.

Riots in Kampala

2009-09-10T15:03:00.002-04:00

So, this is the thing... every tribe in Uganda has a King called a Gabaca. Uganda as a whole has a President. Today President Museveni didn't allow the Bugandan Gabaca (Buganda is the largest tribe in Uganda) to enter Kampala. This is a BIG NO NO... and riots followed. The Riots got so intense it made it's way to Mukono and no students were allowed to go to their families. We could literally hear gunshots... so we decided to record a video. Duh!

Are you a Negro?

2009-08-28T14:23:00.003-04:00

I met Mama Aida and the rest of my family on Wednesday. I exchanged introductions with all eight of my new brothers and sisters as they proceeded to make my bed and unpack, unfold, and hang all the contents of my suitcase. Calling them hospitable would be an understatement.

While all of this is going on my new 22 year old sister, Florence, looks at me and asks, "Are you a Negro?" I think for a couple seconds and give a hesitant yes. "You look like Obama! You Negro!" By this point I'm in mild shock. I haven't heard the word Negro used in years... and never have I been asked whether or not I was one. This has been my most awkward but hilarious social interactions so far. Brian (my roommate) and I are the 17th and 18th students my family has hosted and I am the first Black American, or Negro according to Florence. Many Ugandans never even see Black American except on TV.

While all the students were filing into the DC airport I realized I was the only Black student out of 43. 42 Mzungus (the Ugandan term for white person) and me. My experience will be very different than theirs', when I walk to school from my house nobody stares, I actually feel like I fit in everywhere I go, and my family is very happy and proud to have a Negro live with them for a change.

Tomorrow I leave at 5AM for Rwanda to learn about the genocide of 1994... It will be a very intense 10 days. I will blog all about it (along with bucket bathing and eating Matooki) when I return.

Dads and Doors

2009-08-07T00:34:00.010-04:00

A couple of months ago my Dad surprised me with a new car, a 2006 Honda Civic named Bella. Bella replaced my Ford Focus which I could not justify spending the time or energy to name. Bella was a pretty big upgrade from the Focus, to say the least.

When my Dad first gave me the car he spent about an hour explaining how I needed to be responsible by taking good care of my car and how I needed to show him that I appreciated this gift by cleaning it and taking it in on time for routine oil changes and what not. He went on ...and on... and on.

Last weekend while out with some friends I got into a bit of an accident. I was entering a parking lot and got stuck. The decline into the particular parking lot I was entering was too steep, my wheels lifted off the ground leaving the undercarriage of my car resting on the gravel. I tried multiple times to maneuver my way out but Bella was stuck. We called a tow truck to pull Bella out of the ditch and it seemed the saga was over, until I tried opening the door.

CREEEEEEEEK...

The weight of my car had been resting on the body of the car instead of on the wheels and somehow in the process the gap in between the body of my car and my door closed... and my door wouldn't open all the way. The rubbing was causing the paint to scape off every time I got in and out of my car. This made looking cool as I got in and out of my car very difficult.

I made a split second decision once I noticed my door: "I'm NOT telling my Dad...He'll be pissed."

I got through the weekend without him noticing, I even got through Monday. I got home Tuesday and as soon as I walked into the house he asked me, "What's wrong with your car?'

"Ummmmmmm..." The stuttering problem I immediately developed upon arriving at my house prohibited me from explaining what happened as articulately as I just did.

"Let's go downstairs and see what's wrong." By this point I had an attitude. First, because keeping this from my Dad was an epic fail and who doesn't get an attitude once they've been caught for something? In addition to being upset that I got caught... I knew I was in store for a very long lecture on how to be careful while driving and a lesson on how to drive and not have accidents happen. Needless to say by this point I was not in a good mood... pride never deals well with the humility that comes from being exposed and honest.

We get downstairs and within ten minutes my Dad had fixed my door. He closed my door, walked towards me and said, "If you had just told me sooner, it would have been fixed. It's not good to keep things from me."

How many times have I tried to hide the broken areas of my life from the only One who can fix them? ...countless

How many times have I said, "I'll fix this on my own. I don't need God?" ...countless

How many times have I been too full of shame or fear because of mistakes that I've made therefore I purposefully hide from God? ...countless

Tuesday as I walked back to my room I realized that the door of my heart was just as damaged as the door to my car... unable to open fully and hidden from the one with a solution. Just like I misjudged my dad, thinking he would just be upset at the fact I made a mistake, I had misjudged the character of God so many times, unable to trust the One with my best interest at heart. Just like I thought I could hide my car from my dad, I've been foolish enough to think I could hide the contents of my heart from God, pretending like secrets don't fracture relationships.

Tuesday God used my dad to remind me that I can trust Him more than I think, that nothing is hidden from Him, and that He's waiting to mend, heal, and fix whatever mess I've made. Maybe I'm the only one that has tried to drown out God's voice calling for me to return to him and desperately hiding from His presence. Maybe I'm the only one that has made mistakes and been too afraid and full of shame to confess and repent and allow God to minister forgiveness to me. But what I know about human nature tells me otherwise. I pray we learn from my dad as well...

Hope you enjoyed this Kristie... it was for you.

Where Does It Begin

2009-07-03T13:10:00.017-04:00

Seeing the need in Africa is overwhelming to western eyes, and well, to any eyes. Seeing it firsthand, you get a vast feeling of helplessness - that it all seems very unrepairable. The continent, it seems, is in full despair. But can we say that?

We see the townships, the shack communities, we see the flooded homes, soggy mattresses, if any mattresses. We see the need for shelter, food, and clean water.

Then we look to the children and we see their wide smiles. How is it that these kids can smile and laugh without food in their bellies? Without parents at home, or without parents at all. And without a proper home (in western minds at least).

How is it that after this, after a feeding scheme, the kids could run and play with us, after being reminded that their stomachs are hungry - most still hungry? The joy they contain is overwhelming, bubbling over to change and raise the expressions of our faces. It's not hard to decipher which is more puzzling, the fact that there are masses of starving children or the fact that the masses of starving children are so joyous.

I chatted with a young man named Thando, a new found friend of mine, as we walked through his home, a township of shack homes called Kuyamundi. He told me he could not live any other way, or in any other place. This is his home. He told me I was welcome to live with him in his shack for a year. An invite I didn't take lightly. He said that I would see why he said what he said, that I would learn a few things (and indeed I would). But, I think I already see. Of course, on a low understandable level, but this is how I think Thando feels - and how I think I am coming to feel more and more:

Thando and I are both Christians. He and I both know that the United States is filled with more than its share of the rich, the self-absorbed, and the distracted. An American will say, " God has blessed me with these TVs, toys, and clothes, this beautiful house and expensive car." I think both Thando and I speculate that maybe these things are not blessings. That statement sounds harsh; but maybe these "blessings" are built as distractions. Distractions that skewer our view of God and the world. The toys can fog our ideas of what is important in life. The cars can drive our understanding of God, that He is good because he has given us nice cars. This of course is not the case for everyone, but it is evidently the fact in many American homes.

But here, to Thando, that is not the case. The possessions are nonexistent. There are less distractions, exempt the reality of very visible poverty. And that may not be a distraction so much as a challenge. Thando is a member of a leadership group (under a mission organization called Kuyasa) called Hats and Glasses. The point is to find and train the leaders of 'tomorrow'. Thando doesn't want to leave his community because he wants to grow it and change it for the better - not in a possessional way but in a spiritual way.

It is a strange reality that a young man such as Thando would not choose to leave a simple shack for what would be a nicer home in our minds. Nonetheless, it is a reality, and it is a hopeful one. He knows that there is more out there than a fancy home, an expensive car, and fashionable shoes. He knows that those items come and they go. He knows more than the average young person, let alone the average young person in the States.

And so I wonder, here in Africa, were does the need end and the blessing begin?

South Africa is a beautiful country filled with the fingerprints of God.

- Jesse Poole

0183

2009-06-25T15:22:00.001-04:00

Today while walking around the township of Kayamandi we met this lovely lady. Her name is Leah. Kayamandi is home to 28,000 members of South Africa's Xhosa tribe, and today, like many winter days in Kayamandi, it rained a lot.

This is no problem for most Americans, because we live in actual houses, with roofs that work. Unfortunately for Leah, who's husband died years ago, tin shack 0183 is not waterproof and when it rains everything she owns gets soaking wet.

When our team first met Leah, the entire inside of her shack was covered in water. The ground was soaking wet despite the sea of buckets covering her floor. So we did what any group of people would do. We went into town, bought plastic to cover her roof and spent the entire afternoon making sure that Leah didn't have to live in a leaky shack, sleeping in a wet bedroom. It's my opinion that nobody should have to sleep in a soaking wet shack with rain constantly pouring in. But definitely not a sweet old lady, who's old enough to be my grandmother.

Nobody may care about what our team did today. But Leah cares, because she can sleep dry tonight. People may think that we made no big difference since there are several thousand shacks that are still leaky and wet. But there's one that's not, and to Leah we made a huge difference. Others may think making a real difference means building her a real home. But to Leah, tin shack 0183 is a real home. It's her home, she's lived in this shack for over 10 years, and it's always been leaky until today.

To fix Leah's shack cost about $12 and 2 hours of our time to listen to her story and fix her roof. All it really takes is caring enough to help meet people's needs. Everyone can make a difference in one person's life.

No excuses.
No pessimistic attitudes.
Just hearts of compassion and hands ready to serve one person.

This is the thing. And this is for you Leah.

Mary Singing.

2009-06-03T17:59:00.005-04:00

This girl's name is Mary. As our team left her school she wanted to sing for us. She sang in Zulu, the words of the song mean: "My thoughts are filled with the Holy Spirit." As I stood in front of her in awe I was finally able to put a name and face with all the staggering statistics we hear in America. From now on I won't think of the millions that live with HIV/AIDS in depressing poverty. I will remember one little girl. Mary's voice. Mary's face. Mary's name. I'll never forget her, I promise. I heard the Holy Spirit in this little girl's voice. I wish I had the words to describe it, but some things you just have to be there for.

This is the Thing. And this is for you Mary. Now that I have seen you I am responsible.

Roxanne

2009-05-28T01:24:00.003-04:00

My Dad.

2009-05-22T01:26:00.003-04:00

The last time I hung out with my dad I was 11 and we went to go see "The Mask" with Jim Carey. I remember exactly how I felt about my dad at that age, but to simply say he was my hero sums it all up. I remember the day we went to see "The Mask" because I always looked forward to hanging out with my dad... it was always a highlight. Lots of things have changed since I was 11 and circumstances have come in the way of my dad and I having the best relationship in the world, but some things never change. For some reason a man that I've said I've hated in the past is still my hero and just to spend time with him still makes me feel really special.

All we did was go out for lunch, go to see "Wolverine", and wash my car, but it was a day I'll never forget. Because I had been hurt by my dad so much in the past my automatic reaction when it comes to our relationship is to protect myself, my feelings, my expectations, and my emotions; because I don't want to get hurt I usually become numb and turn all defense mechanisms on full blast.

But that's an awful way to live.

I realized sitting in that restaurant with my father that I do love him, I do have hope and expectations and that's healthy and normal. I've finally come to the point in my relationship with my father where I'm not constantly thinking how I need to protect myself. By protecting my emotions, I realized I would never grow and mature, emotionally at least.

Love equals risk. Relationships require lots of risk and vulnerability. Accepting the fact that I love my dad, despite our history, is a huge step for me and I just wanted to share that with my Blogger family. I forgave my father a year and a couple months ago and told him I loved him for the first time in years. Last week we hung out for the first time since age 11. If I can make progress so can you. This is a very sincere encouragement to all those who have a hard time reconciling with a parent, specifically a dad. There's hope! You don't have to have bulletproof emotions. Don't be afraid to be vulnerable for in your moments of vulnerability you will find true strength.

Let's Kill the King...

2009-05-08T21:49:00.002-04:00

"In the year that King Uzziah died,

I [Isaiah] saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted,

and the train of his robe filled the temple."

Isaiah 6:1

Isn't is ironic that Isaiah saw the Lord in a breath-taking vision right after King Uzziah died?

What "king" needs to die in your life in order for you to see God?

Like... maybe sometimes it takes death to finally get a revelation from God and of God.

Maybe it takes killing some things in our lives before we can hear God clearly and see his purposes in our lives.

"Kings" may represent anything that sits on an undeserved throne in your life. If you ever hear God's direction, or see His vision for your life, or have him reveal your true identity it will come after you've killed something in your life that's a "king".

your pride.

unforgiveness.

bitterness.

selfishness.

a relationship.

an addiction or habit.

Once King Uzziah dies, Isaiah is able to get a vision from the one true King. Makes sense.

Isaiah had a choice though. He could have mourned King Uzziah's death, holding onto the dead weight of a dead king. So many times we hold on to dead weight. We stay in dead relationships. We go to dead churches.

Maybe God has killed that relationship for a reason... and you keep trying to hold on to it. If it's dead, let it go and move on.

Maybe we hold on to dead things because it's familiar, it's what we're used to. Maybe to embrace the new and unpredictable course for your life. But what happens when we begin to shed all the dead areas of our lives that aren't producing anything? I believe that's when we receive a revelation from God about the NEW and UNFAMILIAR places and plans He has for us. Although the dead feels familiar, God's best for us is found in the new, the unexpected, the unplanned, the unfamiliar, the scary, the different.

Kill what needs to die and chart a new course based on a revelation from God... then take a huge leap of faith into the unknown. The life of a prophet was unpredictable and scary but Isaiah accepted that call.

"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,

'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?'

And I [Isaiah] said, "Here am I. Send me!"

Isaiah 6:8

The Truth About You

2009-05-06T01:42:00.009-04:00

Every night after Reveal and Respond various students would approach me to talk, to wrestle through certain issues, or to ask me questions, which I absolutely enjoyed. While talking to people, I noticed a certain pattern. People would often say things like, "I wish God could change me" or "I know God wants to change me but I'm not ready, "All I need is for God to just change me."

All of these statements rely on the premise that for some reason God wants to change us. If God created you, and loves you, and accepts you, why would he need to change you? Are these questions based on a wrong assumption we have about God, and the intrinsic value and worth He's placed in each of us?

God doesn't need to nor does He want to change any of us. Why not? Because he created us just the way He wants us to be. Rather than change us, I believe God wants us to discover our true selves, our identity that can only be found in Him, and to base our lives on the truth of our real identity.

He doesn't want to change us.

He wants to reveal to us who we really are.

He wants to introduce us to the unlimited potential we have.

He wants us to become us. Because in becoming the creation we were made to be we worship the Creator.

The last thing God wants to do is to change who you are, because then He would be losing out on a part of His creation. He doesn't want to change you, if anything He wants you to be more... you. God rejoices in each intricate piece of the puzzle that makes you, you. Neither does He want to change a thing about you. It's such a part of our culture to want to change ourselves that we believe God also wants to change us. Well, He doesn't. He's only interested in showing you who you really are.

Don't pray to God to ask Him to change you. Pray for Him to reveal the truth about who you really are and respond in obedience.

Reveal and Respond

2009-04-15T02:52:00.001-04:00

Jesus Wants the Rose!

2009-04-08T19:50:00.001-04:00

If anyone wants the link to the original site, check it out: 22 Words

Genesis 3:11: "Who told you that you were naked?"

2009-04-08T11:49:00.005-04:00

About a year and three months ago I was at YWAM Orlando completing a DTS. During this time in my life I was completely overwhelmed about how many things I had to fix about my things. I was trying really hard to stop having sex, I had a very bad pride issue, I was addicted to porn, I HATED my father, and I felt like I was trying to fix all these things at once. One morning Jessie Anderson, one of my DTS leaders told me he had a vision of me the night before at a bench press trying to lift weights that were obviously too heavy for me. I was desperately trying to lift the weights and kept saying, "I can't do this!", "This is too heavy!", only God was standing there and asked , "Who told you that?", "Who told you that you can't do this, or lift this weight?", "Did I say that it was too heavy?" I was consciously choosing to believe that I couldn't overcome all the issues in my life, when God was clearly saying that I could.

You may be in a similar circumstance, making reason as to why you think you can't
...accomplish
...overcome
...succeed
...believe
...forgive
...trust

And maybe God is asking you the same question, "Who told you that?"

Who told you that you're not beautiful?
Who told you that you have to be afraid?
Who told you that you can't trust me?
Who told you that you can't overcome this obstacle in your life?

Who told you that? Certainly not me.

Why is it so difficult to believe what God says about us? Why is it so hard to believe what his Word says about the power and authority and victory we have over sin and Satan? Maybe we need to ask ourselves why we believe certain things about ourselves and where is the source of the information we have. So, today you have the option of believing and listening to what Satan and maybe other people have said about you, your self worth, your potential, your future, or you can believe what God thinks of you. You can find reasons to doubt, to not forgive, to be overwhelmed, to fear, and not believe in God or yourself. But you can also find reasons to believe God wants to use your life to change the world, that your problems are not to difficult to bear. You can always find reasons to have faith and hope when you are listening to what God has said about you and your life.

John 8:32 says, "Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free"
John 8:44 says, "When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

Ask yourself this question, "What are the lies that I believe about myself?" Do you have low-self esteem? It's because you believe something about yourself that you didn't hear from God. If you can prove to me that God said you're ugly than I guess you can prove me wrong. The number one thing the enemy has always used to defeat people are lies. He lied to Adam and Eve and he lies to us. You have the CHOICE to believe him or believe God. The sad reality is that it's easier for some reason to believe Satan. You can receive freedom by accepting the TRUTH.

Jesus often said in the four Gospels, "You have heard it said... But I tell you the truth..."

This is maybe a template for freedom and healing. So fill in the blank. "I have heard it said that I can never be used by God because the sins I've committed are so bad. But Jesus tells me the truth that as long as I confess my sins he is faithful and doesn't even remember them."

Your lies probably aren't the same as mine so please fill in your blank and come back Saturday for a sweet video.

Manny

2009-04-04T23:53:00.001-04:00

Stacie this is for you.
Yicaury thanks for all of your hard work... i love you.
Hope everyone enjoys... come back Wednesday for question 2.

Questions. Where are you?

2009-04-01T00:17:00.004-04:00

For the most part Christians approach the Bible with all their questions. We come to God with all the things we want to figure out. We have questions about God, about the world, about science, about our future. We come to God and the Bible with loads of questions, but have you ever stopped and considered that instead of the Bible being a place we come to get our questions answered, the Bible is really the only book with the ability to ask you questions. We come to the Bible with questions, but if we are honest with ourselves the Bible and the Spirit have this ability to look into who we really are and ask us the questions.

For the next couple of weeks I'll be blogging as part of a series entitled Questions. I'll be looking at the places in Scripture where God asks us questions. This is part one.

In Genesis 3 God asks two very poignant questions. The first is: Where are you? The second: Who told you that you were naked? And God is still asking us those two questions today, they may sound different but essentially they're the same. It blows my mind how deeply God longs to be in relationship with us, he absolutely knows where we are... but he asks anyway. The first question may seem simple but it's pretty profound. Ever since the first mistake humans have had a natural inclination to run or hide from God as a response to their sin, and what God is really saying here is: Why are you hiding from me? Maybe we really don't understand the love of God, that our sin doesn't cause him to love us any less, and really whether we want to acknowledge it or not HE'S STILL THERE. Poor Adam really thought he could hide, but so do we. How hard is it to pray right after you've sinned, or fell to that temptation that gets you every time. The presence of God is there when you fall and even if you don't want to acknowledge it... He's there. So next time you come from your girlfriend's house after going "farther" than you both said you should, He's asking... Where are you? Next time you check that pornography site. Where are you? Next time you gossip. Where are you? In your attempts to ignore God because you're in a bad mood. Where are you? He's asking you constantly because he wants us to trust his love enough that we can run to Him at all times. So many times non-believers say things like, "I'm going to get my life together then I'll do the GOD thing." But Christians say the same thing in our subtle language. "God will love me more once I change some things about myself".

So many times when we screw up we hear: "Get away", "I'm disappointed in you", "You should feel ashamed!" When really He's asking, "Where are you, come here so I can fix it, I miss you, I love you, you don't have to be ashamed, I forgive you."

Where are you? He's not asking because you've finally fixed enough things in your life or stopped sinning. He asks out of a genuine concern for why we run away from him or hide from him when we fall. "Where are you," is the cry of a father looking for his son in a crowded mall. He's upset his son ran off, but he's a lot more delighted to see his son when he finally finds him.

People only want to know where you are if they miss you. Is God asking where you're at? Maybe he misses you, stop hiding... He can see you silly

Next Wednesday: "Who told you that you were naked?"

2009-03-30T02:05:00.005-04:00

For everyone who couldn't make it to evening chapel, or just wants to hear "Dirt and Water" one more time, it's here on my blog. I hope that this message brings freedom and healing to broken hearts.

Have fun digging... come back Wednesday.

Pictures from Evening Chapel

2009-03-30T00:19:00.015-04:00

Last Wednesday night I had the opportunity to speak at Evening Chapel @ Gordon College... here's some of the pictures Scot Huber took. Thanks Scot... visit his blog.

This Is The Thing About Jazz Clubs

2009-02-20T22:41:00.001-05:00

"Nonbelievers watch to see whether the followers of Christ will ever make a difference outside the walls of their churches."

~ Joel C. Hunter

"The world is desperately in need of people who will break themselves open and pour themselves out for the reconciliation of all things -- that's what the world needs."

~ Rob Bell

Guest Blogger: Leslie Paul

2009-02-19T18:54:00.000-05:00

The Church is the only institution on the planet that exist solely for the benefits of it's NON-MEMBERS... not it's members... Only if we made that true, maybe the secular world would actually respect us and listen to what we have to say.

As Dr. Marv Wilson would say, "Put that in your theological pipe and SMOKE IT!"

...that's the truth and this is the thing!

Leslie Paul and Manny Arango

This Is The Thing About the NYTimes

2009-02-17T23:46:00.000-05:00

I'm about to blog for the first time about myself...

So I've only told a couple of my close friends this, but last week I entered a contest put on by the New York Times to win a journalism trip to Africa. A couple of years ago a journalist by the name of Nicholas Kristof returned to New York after reporting about the atrocities he had seen in Darfur. Upon returning he experienced thousand of New York citizens in an uproar due to a company displacing a bird's nest.

"The spark wasn’t genocide, war or poverty, but rather homelessness — of a red-tailed hawk nicknamed Pale Male. Managers of a Fifth Avenue apartment building had dismantled his nest.Fury! Television cameras! And public pressure that led to a solution for rebuilding the nest."

Nicholas Kristof wondered how people could care more about birds than dying children in the Sudan, he figured maybe it was because people had never seen human suffering face to face. Therefore he starting this competition where he would choose one college student and take them on a trip to the most poverty stricken areas of Africa.

To enter people have to submit a video describing why Nick should pick them. Below is my video. I really hope I win. This will be my first experience outside the country with a non-Christian organization. I'll also get to blog for the New York Times. Talk about being an influence on secular society, and bridging the gap between the sacred and the secular. Check out my response video...

Guest Blogger: Jason Webster

2009-02-10T16:13:00.000-05:00

Hey all... last week Jason Webster spoke in chapel. He rocked the place so I'm letting you all in on the controversial Black History Month chapel. Since he rocked chapel, I figured he could rock the blog too. So Jason is my guest blogger today. See below...

Manny

This Is Thing About Black History Month

2009-02-10T16:04:00.000-05:00

Why do you care about black history? What makes it relevant for you, a typical Gordon College student? You are probably an intelligent woman from a white family who carries a Nalgene bottle to her Old Testament class, all while singing the lyrics to Taylor Swift’s Love Story. Of course you are God fearing, friendly, and beautiful. Growing up, you’ve learned about America’s difficult history, taking time to discuss the key figures and moments; from George Washington and the American Revolution, to Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War, to FDR and Pearl Harbor, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. But these bits of knowledge about our country’s past don’t really mean that much to you; they play out like old black and white movies that occasionally peak your interest on certain holidays, but for the most part, they seem distant, out dated, and irrelevant in our rapidly changing world. Now, if the details of our collective American history are left muddled as we rush toward inevitable progress, what happens to “Black History”, what happens to the story of African Americans and their experience in this young country, a story that is sometimes told to supplement the narrative of our fore fathers and their American Dream, a story that seems so separate from our July 4th barbecues and Thanksgiving feasts.

Now to be fair, if I am going to stand up here and ask why you care about black history, the least I can do is talk about why I care about it. Now, I think the answer is pretty obvious to everyone in here but I will tell you anyway. I, Jason Webster, am a great dancer; I like fried chicken, I am good at basketball, and I am the first person to die in any movie that I am in. All jokes aside, I am what Gordon refers to as multicultural. My father is Jamaican and my mother is Jewish. Growing up, I would refer to myself as Jew-maican and that made caring about black history difficult for me; in my mind, I could not associate my past with African slavery or Jim Crow laws because I was neither black or white; I was Jason.

But there was more to being Jason than I had even understood, and it had everything to do with the history we focus on in the month of February. My parents met in 1980 at a non-denominational church in Brooklyn, NY, started dating soon after and got engaged in 1985. Now the pastor of this church had known my parents for quite some time. But she did not think they should be married because they were an interracial couple, which, in her opinion could bring some type of social blacklash, both against my parents and the church. Therefore she refused to perform the ceremony, and even went as far to deny permission for my parents to use the church for the wedding at all. I could not imagine being denied something because of the color of my skin, especially something as sacred as marriage and especially by someone so respected as a spiritual advisor. But that was a reality for African Americans, even as recently as 1986 and knowing that I was born amidst that pain and frustration has colored how I see myself. I had not wanted to recognize my place amongst those who were sprayed with fire hoses or refused education; it’s a difficult and confusing legacy to deal with. But it was only because of their story that I could exist, and I mean that in every sense of the word. Knowing history gives me an appreciation for the America I live in today, and gives me hope and guidance for the America I will live in tomorrow.

I felt conflicted about speaking today for two reasons. One was the complexity of my experience, as I have just shared. The other reason is that in the years that I have been here, these chapel services have not been the most popular on campus; by these chapels services, I mean the ones that make us more “aware”, both of how diverse the world around us is and how diverse we aren’t. Now, some of us do enjoy them and sit in the front row, excited and eager to hear interesting stories about a world past the Bennett Center. But learning about black history can be frustrating process (process, undertaking); we, as Gordon students, may learn the tragic details of that history and feel some empathy toward the current situation of minorities in our country. But there are still 40 minutes between Wenham, MA and Lynn, and while our noble efforts to help any way we can must be commended, we have yet to realize Dr. King’s dream “where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.” While we have affected tremendous waves of change, especially in these past few weeks, there is a distinct undertow of physical separation that threatens our well being as one nation, under God.

There are others of us that sit respectfully but mainly out of fear of being “racist” or closed-minded. We don’t want to offend anyone, but we aren’t exactly sure how learning about another race’s past applies to our lives; we are busy thinking about that pretty girl we keep seeing in the library, wondering if she has a boyfriend or if she’ll go out with us this weekend. We hear these same tragic stories with a sense of apathy or indifference. We were not slave owners; we did not stand in protest against the desegregation of schools or the congregation of hundreds of thousands in our nation’s capital on that warm August day in 1963. But to deny responsibility in our nation’s darkest times while still basking in the sunlight born of those struggles would be selfish and ignorant on our part, just as it was on my own.

History has created our present, and it speaks to our future. If we allow ourselves the opportunity to hear what it has to say, we, as a community of students, as a body of believers, and as participants in this social experiment known as the United States of America, will be better for it. We all stand on the shoulders of history and need to have the moral maturity to enjoy the walk through not only the green pastures, but the muddy, unsure, and blood stained trails. And even though we have still further to go until we realize a dream of a more perfect union, we must continue to listen to our history so that we do not become easily lost along the way.

I’ve given reasons why we should care about history in all its parts, not just white, Latino, Asian, Black or Jew-maican. But the decision is yours of whether you WILL care about it or not. It is a difficult step to take but one that we can make together. Besides, that girl who keeps looking at you in the library? She does have a boyfriend, so you don’t need to figure out a way to ask her out anymore.

Jason Webster

This Is The Thing About President Barack Obama's Inauguration Speech

2009-01-25T23:16:00.000-05:00

President Barack Obama’s words will echo for generations as a testament of faith, hope, and love for all that choose to take seriously his challenge of re-shaping our country’s focus and identity. All Christians that listen to President Obama’s words should take his inaugural address not only as a call for America to return to greatness, but also the Church to arise and provide not only a foundation of ideals for America to stand upon but also an example of hope, belief, selfless love, and unity. Christians should take President Obama’s speech as a call to truly live out the words of our Bible. There is no greater, or more opportunistic time to truly be Christ-like. In our country’s current spirit of hope, acceptance, cooperation, unity, and a realized need to put our hands to the plow and make the world a greater place, the Christian faith has the chance to flourish and build bridges across religious lines in order to sow the seeds of the Kingdom of God. President Obama’s speech was not only littered with Christian ideas and ideals and was a challenge to every American to take their part in shaping our country around those ideals, and we have the opportunity to lead the way.

For the first time in my short history, the Church has come to a place with our country where there is a mutual dependency. Our country needs the Church to provide a loving non-threatening example of our true mission, and we need the country to believe in us once again. President Barack Obama’s Inauguration speech highlighted several areas that will hopefully help in advancing the mission of the Church and America forward.

President Obama spoke directly to nations gripped by poverty and promised, “to the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders, nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.” The Church can no longer afford to let it’s own members be it’s primary focus and responsibility. The Church must be the forerunner in the world of global responsibility. The Church must begin to be the only institution on earth that exists primarily for the benefit of her non-members. If not the world will not respect of follow her, for “the world has changed and we must change with it.”

President Obama honored our troop for “they embody the spirit of service: a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves.” That is a central theme of the Christian faith. There was a revolution started two thousand years ago by a radical Savior who decided and determined to love, and that revolution of love is bigger than any Christian. The Church is a part of something bigger than her, and therefore sacrifice is necessary. No longer can we embrace a self centered and privatized faith. President Obama acknowledges the fact that leaders are not the only one’s who bear the burden and hold the responsibility of our ideals, because,

“For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break; the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job, which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.”

The responsibility lies not with our pastors, clergy, or those with titles, but we must all do our part being the hands and feet of a God who cares about the orphan and the widow, who’s heart breaks over injustice and suffering. We must embody a spirit of service and sacrifice in the name of the One who is the epitome selfless love, service and sacrifice. A faith that can mobilize the Church to embody those ideals will also be the faith that attracts Muslims, Hindus, and Atheists. These people’s intellect will never be compelled to believe in our message. But their hearts will not be able to deny or ignore the spirit of love that we embody and will be inevitably drawn to it.

If one thing is true, it’s that the eyes of the entire world are upon us, “to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.” President Obama has given the Church a global stage to exemplify Christ’s love not only at home but abroad. If the Church acts now in relentless and far-reaching love, the entire world will notice and respond. President Obama has opened a window of opportunity for the image of Christianity to be repainted in the true image of Jesus. Not only does America have an opportunity to reestablish her identity in the world, so does the Church.

The Church also has the opportunity to deal with the racism embedded in it’s past if it will ever lead the world in the reconciliation, peace, and unity that it desperately needs. Equality, unity, and reconciliation are not peripheral tenets of the Christian message; they are central and essential to the Christian message, yet for so long they have been pushed aside as non-essentials. President Obama has renewed the hope that all people really are created equal and celebrates this by asserting,

“For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth. And because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace… And why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.”

There is persistent racism towards darker-skinned people in China, Russia, Europe, India (high caste Hindus (Brahmins) associate themselves with the color "white" & the lower the caste, the darker the color associated), and the Arabic-speaking Muslim world. Now world leaders will face the most powerful nation on earth through their relationship with an African American man. President Obama’s presence will elevate the image of not only African-Americans but also all discriminated against minorities. This directly effect the world of missions, because these people groups who are treated as inferior because of the color of their skin are those people who the Church will target as mission fields. If missionaries or America Christian don’t ever deal with the prejudices they hold, how will they minister effectively to darker skinned people around the world? If the Church doesn’t heal the racism in its heart how will it eradicate the racism found around the world? If the Church cannot reconcile or unite across racial lines at home how will She promote this abroad?

If you haven't read a transcript of Obama's speech please do. READ OUR PRESIDENT'S SPEECH.

While your at it watch it too...

This Is The Thing About Relationship

2009-01-23T17:32:00.000-05:00

The other day my friend said that it seemed so weird when people expressed they were angry, upset or confused with God. It just didn't seem like the way to relate to God.

If you approach a relationship with Jesus in any other way than you approach your relationship with any other person, than your missing it. We can all pretend like we have a relationship with God, when truly we treat God as if He's completely transcendent, totally somewhere else, and the truth is that's not a relationship. God created us human and relates to us on human terms. His desire to relate to us on human terms was so deep that He became one of us, and still is. Jesus knows what it's like to be angry, so you can get angry with Him. He knows what its like to feel disappointed, unsure and afraid. Therefore you never have to pretend like you have it all figured out, or as if everything is OK. God not only understands but has a solution.

Have you ever been in a relationship with a person, and they're mad at you but won't tell you why. Isn't that a frustrating feeling. Have you ever been in a relationship and you feel like the other person just never really expresses how they truly feel. Maybe that's what it feels like for God when we refuse to just be real, and honest with Him. He's not surprised, intimidated, or offended by any of your questions, fears, insecurities, doubts, misconceptions, or issues.

God is not the God that says we have to meet Him half-way. You don't need to get your act together before you can come to God. He's the God that comes 100% to where you are and starts a journey with you exactly where your at. There's nothing you need to achieve or fix, God only needs you to be honest about where you are. That's it...

Just because Christians don't always receive and accept people the way they are, doesn't mean that's true about God as well.

Come as you are... I bet He's waiting to hear your voice. His primary objective is not to fix your life or deal with your issues, God's primary objective is simply to have a relationship with you... no ulterior motives. You don't have to be an atheist to be far from God, being dishonest and fake is just as harmful to ANY relationship... especially yours and God's.

Manny

Rick Warren is the MAN!

2009-01-20T15:55:00.001-05:00

CNN Video

Happy Inauguration!!!

2009-01-20T14:05:00.000-05:00

The Third Blog Post Today...Wow!

2009-01-19T15:55:00.000-05:00

This video is from Sunday...just thought the people who haven't seen may want to.

and this quote/picture is just cool...

Happy MLK Day!

2009-01-19T15:19:00.000-05:00

Enjoy the video...

now read the next post...

Happy MLK Day!!!

2009-01-19T12:34:00.000-05:00

I just got back from a MLK Day breakfast in Lynn, MA and was reminded of how great our country can be. Three high school students read essays on how Dr. King's life and legacy has affected them. As I listened to the words of teenagers a couple of years younger than me one theme rang through loud and clear. Every single teenager was filled with an undeniable sense of hope. As they spoke about MLK and Barack Obama the faith they had in our nation was evident. They spoke of America as a place of endless possibilities, as a "promised land", as a country of freedom, equality, diversity, justice, and opportunity.

Despite where you may stand politically, nobody can deny that President Obama has inspired hope, not only in the hearts of the African American, Guatemalan, and Dominican teenagers I heard speak today, but millions of young people all across this country who for the first time believe they can achieve their wildest dreams. "Yes We Can" has become more than a political campaign -- it's the chant and creed of the next generation of Americans who have the odds exponentially stacked against them.

Tomorrow will be the beginning of a long road towards a better America. I'm filled with hope not only because of Barack Obama but because the indifferent and apathetic group of African American teenagers lead by Lil' Wayne and Allen Iverson won't be the group building the America of tomorrow. That group has been transformed in one election into a collection of diverse young people chanting a message of faith and holding a message of hope in their hearts. The "Yes We Can" generation will build a better America and I'm quite happy about that and so should you.

I sat at a Martin Luther King breakfast, celebrating our country's achievement in the area of racial equality and justice, and the part that made it great is that I sat there with one of my best friends in the world -- Leslie Paul, a white female. This is not an African American achievement alone. It's an achievement of the true American dream. If you don't have something to celebrate this MLK day, then I'm afraid you've missed it! I'm celebrating the fact that not so long ago, me and Leslie wouldn't have been friends... or at least not so easily. I'm celebrating friendship, diversity, unity, and love... in the name of the One who created them.

This isn't the end... it's just the beginning!

Are you ready?

Happy MLK Day!

Congrats President Obama... couldn't make it to the inauguration, but I'll stop by the White House later this week for lunch... with Leslie

This is the Thing...We're Coming Out!!!

2009-01-17T22:19:00.000-05:00

Please sing along with us...and dance...

2009-01-09T17:13:00.000-05:00

I don't know how many people have seen 7 pounds...if you haven't you may want to STOP READING NOW!

So all I have for everyone who reads this is a simple question.

So, this is the thing...was Will Smith's act at the end of the movie primarily an act of love and sacrifice? OR...does his act give an excuse/justify/glorify suicide?

There's two ways to see it. To someone who is struggling with depression and wants a way out does the movie encourage suicide?

Or is it a loving act of sacrifice that can be likened to Jesus' act of love...please respond and leave comments...

RESPOND AND LEAVE COMMENTS!

Thanks.

[rain]

2009-01-03T23:11:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry I've taken a break from blogging...but I'm back on schedule! You may or may not have seen this NOOMA but I like it...take it to heart...cry out...

Enjoy, and come back for more...

THIS IS THE THING FOR 2009

2008-12-31T16:47:00.000-05:00

Disclaimer: We do not discriminate against or harbor prejudice towards the elderly, midgets, or Republicans. But, old Republican midgets may cause problems (John McCain). We just can't handle them all in one. Separately...no problem. Thank you. Enjoy...

Some inspirational photos to remind you of our goals for 2009.

5.) Show the 70's NO MERCY!

4.) Show the economy NO MERCY w/ your new career in professional sports!

(dog tossing)

(United States Association of Rock, Paper, Scissors)

Ski Ball...classic!

Extreme Ironing! Show that Ironing board NO MERCY!!!

3.) Show resistant McCain supporters NO MERCY!

2.) Show old people and midgets A LOT OF MERCY IN 2009!!!

1.) Finally check out the blog DAILY because YOU deserve it!

Happy New Year!

THIS IS THE THROWBACK!

2008-12-28T18:41:00.000-05:00

Here's a throwback video...this blog is getting way too serious and spiritual...sorry guys...this is dedicated to my freshman year in college...

Enjoy Stef!

2008-12-28T03:03:00.000-05:00

Happy Sunday!

I heard an illustration by Craig Groeschel, which seriously inspired me. A couple of years ago, Craig wrote Confessions of a Pastor, where, with raw honesty and transparency, he talked about things he struggles with as a pastor, leader and husband. On stage he admitted that pornography was an area in his life which he struggled to maintain victory in. His honesty and transparency sparked a domino effect within his congregation. That week during a small group meeting a man in the meeting confessed that he battled with pornography as well. He figured that if a pastor could be open and honest then so could he. It just so happened that there was a guest/visitor in the group that night, a woman who was inspired by such a group of people that could be so honest and vulnerable with one another. She figured if their pastor could be honest, and this man in this group could be honest, so could she. That night, an unbeliever confessed to a group of Christians that she was a stripper and that she was unhappy with her life. That night that group of believers agreed to pay the woman's bills for the next couple of months so that she didn't have to strip anymore.

That story is not out of the Bible.
That story is not out of the book of Acts.
It didn't happen in Africa.
It happened in a normal church, with normal Christians.

As you come home from church this afternoon allow me to ask you a couple questions...

Is your church a community of people with whom you can be genuine, true, and honest?
Do you feel like you can truly be yourself with your church "family"?
Can you be vulnerable in your relationships with the people whom you share your faith?
When is the last time your community of fellow Christians truly changed someone's life?

I hope you had a great time singing, praying, and hearing the God's word this morning. But nothing we do inside a church building on Sunday scares Satan or shakes hell. Actually being the Church outside in the world Monday through Sunday is what matters. If we would start to live like Jesus, really live the lifestyle of Jesus, in a radical way, then hell would be afraid. Because if we, the Church, started actually living like Jesus, WE WOULD CHANGE THE WORLD! WE ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE WITH THE POWER TO CHANGE THE WORLD!

How is it that tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners were drawn to Jesus? Why did Jesus have the power to change their lives...and we don't? Why does the world only feel judged by us and not loved? Why do we feel judged by each other and not loved? Didn't Christ give us the power to do what He did? Why do we settle for less?

Maybe I'm making it too simple. Or maybe it just is this simple. If a rabbi and some fishermen could change the world, so can we. Let's get on with it!

Thanks for reading...now GO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT...

all love
Manny

Pearls and Treasure

2008-12-26T22:42:00.000-05:00

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field...Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." Matthew 13:44-46

My whole life I thought this passage meant that my relationship with God, or the Kingdom of God was like the fine pearl, or a treasure hidden in a field. And that I had to sacrifice everything and prove to God that I wanted and desired a relationship with Him more than anything else.

It's true that this passage is about sacrifice, but maybe I got it wrong who needs to make the sacrifice. Or who the sacrifice is meant to emphasize.

I read this passage now and I realize that maybe we are the fine pearls, maybe we, the children of God, represent the treasure hidden in a field. We take our talents, our time, our resources, and lots of times we lose ourselves in unhealthy relationships, unfulfilled jobs, and our selfish desires. We hide ourselves from God in our sin, brokenness, and shame. But through it all, even though we are hidden in the field of life, we are still treasure. And rather than reading this passage of Scripture as God saying that we need to desire Him more than anything, maybe we should see it as God wanting and desiring a relationship with us more than anything else. And
that He's willing to do whatever it takes to have that relationship.

Since the Garden of Eden, our natural inclination has been to run away from God or hide when we struggle with sin or when we are ashamed. Genesis 3:8 says that Adam and Eve, "hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden" We too hide from God in our own "garden". But God's first question to mankind, is the same question he poses to us now. A simple "Where are you?"

Let God ask you that question. Where are you? And don't hear it as judgemental dad asking you because He's waiting for you to mess up and want to condemn you. Hear that question from a father that wants to know where his treasure is.

You may look at yourself and see your failures, shortcomings, mistakes, flaws, and imperfections, but God sees treasure, He sees pearls, and no matter how far we try to run or deep we try to hide He'll never lose the sight of His treasure. But while others won't take the time or energy to really search for a hidden treasure, God does and will. It's a whole lot easier to sacrifice everything for someone who has sacrificed it all for us.

Remember, behind all those imperfections and flaws lies a treasure that God will never loose sight of, and never stop searching for. He's placed a treasure inside all of us. There's nobody like you! Give the gift of yourself.

2008-12-26T00:00:00.000-05:00

No words are really necessary after seeing this. Please just find a way to give the gift of life, in some way shape or form. And go see Seven Pounds, because the movie really drives home the point of giving sacrificially.

Jesus will say, "For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me."

They will answer, "Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?"

He will reply, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me."

It's time for social justice to stop being a trend and start being a lifestyle.

Thanks

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2008-12-25T00:10:00.000-05:00

What happens when there's no space for what God wants to do in our religious way of doing things?

What happens when our religion simply isn't big enough for God?

What happens when our religious ideas reject what the Spirit of God is doing?

This is the dilemma of the first Christmas, and the rest of the New Testament. Time and time again, God has had to lead people to rebel against the religious system in order to accomplish his will, because religion was actually starting to confine and constrict what God's will was.

Examples: John the Baptist is baptizing in the wilderness, trying to lead the Jewish people into repentance. At the same time, the Temple (the religious institution), was where people were supposed to go for the remission of sins. But God leads John to do something unorthodox because the religion that supposed to lead people to God wasn't doing it's job. Therefore God leads John the Baptist to break the rules of his religion in order to lead people into a relationship with Him

Jesus heals multiple people on the Sabbath. This is against Jewish law, and the Pharisees (the religious institution) try to kill Jesus because he's breaking the Jewish law. There was no room in their religion for God healing people that needed Him.

My personal favorite -- Acts 8:26-40. Philip baptizes a eunuch. According to Jewish law eunuchs were not to be baptized, and were defiled in God's sight. Philip, a Jew, knows this, but instead of following what his religion holds as right and true Philip follows the Spirit of God and leads this eunuch into a relationship with God,

The first Christmas follows the same storyline! According to Judaism, God is NOT supposed to be human. But God breaks all the rules, and John 1:14 tells us "the Word became flesh and blood". God is always a step ahead of us. That first Christmas He showed that He is a giver...a giver even of Himself. So in the spirit of Christmas, let God give you the gift of Himself -- in true, authentic, dangerous, vulnerable relationship. Scrap the religion!

What is your religion telling you? What do you believe simply because it's what your church or pastor or denomination holds to be true? That God doesn't speak to people? That you can't have a legitimate ministry because you're a woman? That God doesn't physically heal people? That 'speaking in tongues' isn't real? That really loud music is the only way to worship? That we shouldn't talk about Mary? That having correct theology is the most important thing? That you're not spiritual or saved enough to hear God's voice and know his will? That your pastor is closer to God than you are? You have to get married? You shouldn't get married?

Where have your religious ideas put God into a box?

This Christmas take that box, unwrap it, and allow God's gift of the Holy Spirit to break down your walls of religion, and give you a spirit that follows His, even if it's to territory your religion doesn't acknowledge as orthodox. This Christmas let God give you the gift of risk. The risk of relationship. You're not always going to get it right. Sometimes you'll think you heard the voice of God, and be wrong. But it's the raw beauty of relationship. This Christmas allow the Spirit of God to take you to heights in a relationship with Him that your religion can't contain. God is bigger than the rules we set up. He's bigger than your idea of Him. He's bigger than your agenda. He's bigger than your plans. He's bigger than your preferences about church. But God is only as big as you'll let Him be in your life.

Let God surprise you this Christmas...all you have to do is open the box.

2008-12-24T22:15:00.000-05:00

I simply have 3 recommendations for everyone:

1) Read The Shack by William Young. It will change your life!!!

2) Download Viva La Hova by Jay Z and Coldplay

3) READ MY BLOG!!!

LOL

IT'S A NEW DAY...HOPEFULLY...

2008-12-24T03:11:00.001-05:00

IT'S A NEW DAY...HOPEFULLY...

2008-12-24T02:45:00.000-05:00

A week ago, in a move to truly reflect the diversity of our nation, President-Elect Barack Obama chose Rick Warren to perform the invocation at his inauguration next month.

Of course the gay and lesbian community was not thrilled about this, because of Warren's conservative stance on gay marriage. As was predictable "the vitriolic gay response revealed the ugly face of gay and lesbian stridency and strong arm tactics to try and force their views on the majority of Americans who do not agree with them on their key issues."

Two things were not so predictable. 1) The negative response by conservative Christians 2) The negative response by African Americans

It's unbelievable to me that conservative Christian gave an uglier response to Obama's decision than gay and lesbian activists did. Why are conservative Christians so upset that Rick Warren would PRAY FOR OUR PRESIDENT ELECT? Doesn't Christ teach us to pray for our leaders, much less to pray for our enemies? I would have never thought that praying for the president was such a sin.

On the other hand, African Americans are upset because Obama chose a white pastor to preform the invocation. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Barack Obama's win is definitely a major leap forward for African Americans, but it's also a major leap forward for unity, justice, healing and reconciliation in our broken and fragmented country. Sorry if this hurts people's feelings...but Obama's win is not an excuse for African Americans to be racist toward whites. Obama chose a white pastor...and that's fine with me.

Hopefully we can begin to walk in a new day...where conservatives can pray for their liberal Democratic president. A new day...where homosexuals don't feel threatened and upset by the mention or presence of Christians. A new day...where blacks, whites, Asians, Hispanics, and everyone else can get along and unite under a common purpose. A new day...where the victory of a black man, isn't only celebrated by African Americans, but by all who believe in equality, freedom, hope, reconciliation, and unity. A new day...where even African Americans confront their own racial prejudices and rejoice in Obama's inauguration without taking issue with the color of the man's skin performing the invocation.

It's a new day...but are we all really ready for the challenges of change and the road to reconciliation? I hope so!

We Do Whatever We Wanna Do Boo Boo!

2008-12-02T20:20:00.000-05:00

This is the African thing...

2008-12-02T16:35:00.000-05:00

2008-11-22T14:11:00.001-05:00

so this is the thing...alvin and the chimpmunks' version of a millie completely dogs Lil' Wayne's version. not to mention alvin is a hell of a lot cuter and not visually offensive. everyone please go on youtube and listen to alvin's version...your sould will thank me later...by the way all of this is a joke and i dont care what you listen to. but if you wanna be as cool as me and lesie just some to Chester's and find us because this is what we'll be doing...good day

This is the thing...

2008-11-22T13:58:00.000-05:00

"This is the end —but for me it's the beginning of life!"

2008-11-18T00:34:00.000-05:00

So...this is the thing...today there was a funeral @ my church...so I have some thoughts about death...sorry if that's a bit morbid...

While Dietrich Bonhoeffer was preaching his last sermon the Nazi's came and led him to be hung. As he was forced to preach his last words he concluded that for him it was now "the beginning of life!" If we believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are forced to believe that Bonhoeffer's words are true...that for the Christian...death is only the very beginning of true life. Jesus Christ has overcome the power of death...and it no longer has the last word. Death poses no threat to the believer. Christ's resurrection gives us an unshakable hope that one day the full glory of God will be revealed to us and we to (like our big brother Jesus) will indwell a perfect mortal body and will inhabit a new earth. Christ, the firstborn from the dead, points to this eternal reality.

Many Christians see heaven as the ending place. As if we will be in heaven forever....and become something "more than human" or angelic...but it's a mere waiting room, until the end of time...for we humans will inhabit a brand new earth. Finally! God's plan from the beginning will be established...for perfected humans to inhabit a perfected earth. And we have the priveledge of perfecting it now...to work towards this redemption...to partner with God in fixing it all and putting it all to rights. So in this pre-life...let's get to it...as we become the very people whom we will be formed into forever. The Spirit that raised Christ from the grave lives in us and is continually redeeming and sanctifying us...whether we realize it or not. God is preparing us for that beginning of our lives...when we will see Christ and finally be fully and completely conformed to his image. Which is particularly good news for me because I'm hoping to finally be like 17 ft. tall and jacked out of my mind...

Hopefully this makes funerals not so sad...

NT Wright talks about this in his latest book Surprised By Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church...check it out

Sin has truly lost it's power and Death has lost it's sting...