Friends Beyond Borders

Friends Beyond Borders conversation group at Georgia Tech.

Every Wednesday at Georgia Tech Language Institute I meet new people at Friends Beyond Borders.  I get to know students from around the world as we talk about culture, food, hobbies, and much more.  The goal is to broaden our perspective of the world be getting to know people from other countries while the students practice speaking English with native English speakers.  These new friendships remind me of a video I'd like to share with you. 

The video shows what American Muslims would like to tell the rest of the world.  They would like to break stereotypes and correct misunderstandings.  I share this because Christ commands us to love God and love others.  I love others better when I understand a little better where they are coming from...this video helped me with that.  I hope it helps you too.

Click on the link to see the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbcmPe0z3Sc
or copy and paste it in a new window
(It's only 4 minutes long!)

Refrigerator Blessings

"Does anyone have a refrigerator?" 
As we looked around at each other, a hand went up in the front row. 
"OK, Awesome!"  Pastor Tim continued, "Does anyone have a truck to transport it?"
Another hand went up from the middle of the rows of pews.
"Great...the two of you can bring it here right after church."
Pastor Tim looked out at the 50 faces staring back at him, "Now, does anyone have some extra food in their refrigerator to fill up the empty one?" 
Many hands were raised from all over the room as people committed to filling the fridge before it was given to Pastor Sanchez.

Pastor Tim had just finished his sermon and was closing with a few announcements. One being, Pastor Sanchez (from the Latino Church that shares the building with us) had almost no food in his house for his family because his refrigerator broke over the weekend and all the food spoiled.  As the quick organizing effort came to a close, Pastor Sanchez was called into the sanctuary.  Pastor Tim and a dozen others gathered around Mr. Sanchez at the front of the church to pray for him and thank the Lord for his provision.  By the end of the prayer, both pastors were in tears at the beautiful real life picture of the Body of Christ coming together. 

This would have been a common practice for the early New Testament church (if they had refrigerators.)   
"And all who believed were together and had all things in common.  And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need." Acts 2:44-45 
What a refreshing sight to see lived out in our modern church as well!

Perspective

The cold night air swooshed into the apartment as Joey opened the door.  Three tall police officers wearing bulletproof vests over long sleeved shirts stood on the porch.  Each had a gun strapped to his right thigh over plain blue jeans.  Joey glanced back at Mom as one of the officers walked into the home.  More officers entered the living room, emerging from the surrounding trees.  Scared at first, Joey stayed close to Mom while the men with the big voices questioned his parents and relatives.  The clean-cut men were nice enough though, so Joey soon was walking around looking at the visitors more closely.  He ran to his room to get his own neon green and purple Nerf gun.  Joey hardly noticed the officers searching the apartment and demanding the adults sit against the living room wall.  He did notice when his older sister started crying.  Anna never cries. 

Mom handed Joey and Anna their backpacks.  But it’s night time; we can’t be going to school now, thought Joey.  Mom wrapped her arms around him, giving him the biggest squeeze he could remember.  Anna, Joey, and their three siblings walked out the door, following a relative who had come to pick them up.  As Joey turned the corner he noticed his uncle and a friend of the family standing with a police officer, hands restrained behind their backs...the stance all of the adults living in the apartment would take by the end of the night.

As neighbors, we only have part of the picture, but my heart breaks for Joey and his four siblings.  One confusing night will lead to weeks of uncertainty.  The kids will be dropped off at school tomorrow and will be expected to keep it all together, go on with life as usual.  But nothing will be usual anymore.  Yes, they may now be less exposed to drugs and gangs, but family as they knew it has dissolved. 

Pray for Joey, his siblings, and the other “Joeys” in my community and yours. 

Worship is the Fuel of Missions

 
These quotes always make me smile and get excited about God, worship, and missions.  So I'm sharing, and hopefully they make you smile too!

"Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church.  Worship is.  Missions exists because worship doesn't.  Worship is ultimate, not missions because God is ultimate, not man.  When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more.  It is a temporary necessity.  But worship abides forever. "

“Worship…is the fuel and goal of missions.  It’s the goal of missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the whit-hot enjoyment of God’s glory.  The goal of missions is the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God…Missions begins and ends in worship.”

“The most passionate heart for God in all the universe is God’s heart.  This truth, more than any other I know, seals the conviction that worship is the fuel and goal of missions.  The deepest reason why our passion for God should fuel missions is that God’s passion for God fuels missions.  Missions is the overflow of our delight in God because missions is the overflow of God’s delight in being God.  And the deepest reason why worship is the goal in missions is that worship is God’s goal.  We are confirmed in this goal by the Biblical record of God’s relentless pursuit of praise among the nations.  ‘Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples!’ (Ps. 117:1) If it is God’s goal it must be our goal.”

 John Piper, Let the Nations be Glad

The After School Tutoring Whirlwind

3:45-We arrive at Ruthie’s house to begin setting up for after school tutoring. Tables, chairs, and jars of pencils must be placed in the living room and extra bedroom.
3:50-Small hands bang on the front door of the apartment. “10 more minutes!” Ruthie yells.
4:00-The doors are opened and kids run inside, each getting a squirt of hand sanitizer before they get too far.
4:05-Kids from 3 to 12 years old work on homework. The little guys and anyone who finishes early draw on colored paper with crayons (at least that’s what they are supposed to do…however, it’s more common to see the kids running from room to room chasing each other, singing songs at the top of their lungs, or fighting over who gets to use the glitter glue.) Between 2 and 5 adults help with homework and try to keep the kids from destroying the house.
4:10-I begin dinner: 7 boxes of macaroni and cheese, 3 cans of roast beef, 3 cans of mixed veggies will be combined to make a hot meal for the kids.
4:20-Tino and Lizet help pass out fruit snacks and cups of juice.
4:45-We start encouraging kids to clean up and find a seat for dinner.
4:50-Dinner is served. The older kids help pass out bowls of food and refills of juice.
5:15-All the dirty bowls and forks are in the sink and the kids gather, sitting on the floor in the living room, to hear a Bible story.
5:30-Ms. Paula leads the children in some songs with hand motions about the love of God and how he knows each of us by name.
5:40-The kids work on an art project, today they are painting small piggy banks.
5:55-Everyone begins to clean up, gather homework, jackets, and art projects to take home.
6:00-"Goodbye!"  Some kids walk home, others get picked up by Mom.
6:05-Visit with Moms for a few minutes and help the stragglers get out the door.
6:10-We clean up the house.  Ian and Ruthie live here, so we put away the art supplies, vacuum, wipe off and put away the tables and chairs, load the dishwasher with all the dishes from dinner, and take out the trash.
6:30-The house looking respectable again, we head out the door, "See you tomorrow!"