Fixed Foundation

Rocks, mud, and sand have been our living reality the last 2 weeks. I am leading a Nehemiah construction team through Habitat for Humanity in the Philippines this summer. The work has been constant and challenging, for we build without many luxuries. The bricks we have helped make weigh 40 pounds each, and it takes nearly 800 bricks to build one house - we are building two side by side. The semi-flat bed truck of cement bags we unloaded were 80 pounds each, and the bags of rocks and sand we carry on our back weigh from 100-130 pounds. Half the time we are able to use a medium size concrete mixer, but the rest of the time, we mix by hand. Cutting 1/4 inch rebar and bending to make supports for the house has also been one of our many activities. Moving piles of rocks and sand can wear us out under the sun, but at last, the foundation is fixed.

Our ministry work had seemed to follow a similar course. When we first arrived in Butuan City, we had to buy supplies, adjust to the time change, and figure out what we were doing. Even as the team leader, I was not overly informed about our activities or opportunities for ministry. We would attempt to go into the neighborhood and engage the people, but with no true success. The little children could finish the bible verses we started, and trying to share Christ after a basketball game did not work the way I envisioned it. Our first Bible Study was nothing less than what I would call a train wreck, and it seemed we could do nothing right. All this time I was fighting within my mind, beginning to wonder if I was even capable of leading this team in the ministry.

We continued to fight exhaustion from our long days, and as much as I tried to encourage with God's truth about our purpose here, my stress and anxiety began to rise up again. It was now Sunday night, and I knew we had to try house to house again. Even if we were only going to lead one person to salvation, disciple one Christian, or just sow seeds without seeing the harvest, I knew we had to be faithful in proclaiming the word. My father had sent me a passage from Isiah 40 which I read over our 3 house to house teams before we went out. "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youth grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on winds like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. "

The result of our obedience? We were allowed to partake in the harvest! There were 3 salvations that night, and we also found a person of peace of whom we will continue to study the Bible with him and his entire family until God leads him to salvation! We are now moving towards setting up consistent bible studies with people of peace for the hopes of salvation, and discipleship for the new believers in Christ. After we all came back, rejoicing in the Lord and sharing of our different stories, we sang a song, then lifted up our hearts to God in prayer. In 1 John 1, the author writes "We write this to make our joy complete." And that night, our joy was complete and overflowing.

Now when we wake up, we have hope. The Lord has shattered any doubt in my mind, and He has shown his eternal faithfulness, even when my faith is about to run out. Although the beginning labor was strenuous and at times discouraging, the Lord has laid a foundation for the ministry here in this Habitat Community. He is our shelter, our rock, and our firm foundation here in the storm. He is our fixed foundation. In Him, we shall never be moved.

Disillusion

Well, my online identity use to be safe. You see, today is our first day to walk around the city of Butuan, getting to know the stores and markets of our area. We are here as part of Nehemiah Teams, serving with Habitat for Humanity, building houses for the poor and impoverished. I am leading four amazing Christian guys, and we are learning how to live and grow in community daily. We are together sending updates and messages to family and friends of our safe arrival.

As I look around the Philippino internet cafe, my faith in cyber security quickly begins to plummet. You see, the name "internet cafe" implies a ground floor store with windows, light, and coffee. I'v never been so wrong in my life. The OS is windows 2000, the CPU is older than my childhood bicycle, and I have to abusively pound the space bar to separate every word I type. How often my expectations and preconceived notions are erroneous. How often I delude myself.

Coming to the Philippines, I thought I knew what poverty was. I thought I had an idea of how other people live in these places in the world, of their struggles and lack of things. In this I was wrong. After having an amazing lunch for mere dollars, we were taken by car to the Habitat House we would live in during our stay. When we got off the "highway", we drove down a dirt road in the rain. One of our supervisors called it "chocolate milk" because of the abundance of potholes filled with mud. Rundown shacks had been turned into small shops, people watched us as we drove in the rain. We were told it cost 6 pesos to travel from our house to the highway, which we gladly agreed to pay in order to bypass the wasteland of dirt and mud. "Why not? Its pocket change," one teammate said.

I looked to my right, seeing a man trying to walk where the water had not yet wasted the road. To my left, a woman walked off the road holding the hand of her small daughter, fighting the rain with nothing more than an umbrella. Then it hit me. Our pocket change is their privilege. When you make less than $2 a day, you learn to go without. And many times, its more than a car ride they go without. Whether food or clean water, people live without the very things we find common. My heart still falls heavy.

How can I live then? I have been blessed beyond reason, because of what, my birth? How do I live responsibly as a rich man? For we all are you see. Do not fool yourself as I had. We have the ability to make change, the ability to show people who Jesus is. But how? If I gave away everything I owned, I would not even be a drop in a bucket. I know I am not the first Christian to ever have these questions, nor am I the last. I know there is no simple answer, and I know each person may have a different answer.

But what I do know is this - God has opened my eyes to show me my previous blindness. This summer, through prayer, the word, and seeking God, I hope to find my role in living faithfully for God in this world, being a rich man. May my eyes not be blind with privilege. May I delude myself no longer.

Off we go!

The letters have been sent, the Lord has provided, and tomorrow I will find myself on an airplane to Atlanta for 5 days of training. Where did all the time go? What am I getting myself into? There are many questions in my mind. As my nerves, anxiety, fears, or whatever they are begin to rise in me, I cannot settle my spirit. As if I have ever been able to do so. But this is no new knowledge.

While listening to Matt Chandler, pastor of the Village Church in Austin, I was reminded this one fact: I am not awesome. For everything I can do, for every accomplishment I have achieved, I am not awesome. I really cannot fix my own problems.

The Greeks have known this from the very beginning. In Greek mythology, when the gods created man, they instilled in them a special knowledge: knowledge of their death. I do not mean the idea that "you will die," but the very year, month, date, and time of their death. From the story, man became so dismayed at this information, he folded into himself and did nothing. Man knew his limits and bounds. Now there was a Titan named Prometheus, who became close to the creatures known as man. Opposing Zeus and the other gods, Prometheus gave man three gifts. First was taking away the knowledge of mans mortality. The writers penned "Prometheus caused blind hopes to live in the hearts of men." He gave man the blind desire to overcome and be more than man could possibly be, and the last gift Prometheus gave man was fire. This is technology, to make food, weapons, and a way to correct the world around me. A way to fix what was wrong. This was all behinds Zeus' back.

Zeus later looked down upon the earth and became enraged when he saw that man had fire. He took Prometheus and explained to him because man lacks foreknowledge, because man could not see all that is, man would cause himself more problems in this state than the previous. So Zeus chained Prometheus to a rock, and sent buzzards to eat his liver, which grew back every day.

Greek mythology is awesome at identifying the problems, but is not able to offer any solutions. The Greeks were trying to explain how mankind understands mortality, yet we do not feel the weight of it. We don't think we are going to die today. Or this week. Or honestly, this year. We act like gods, because we do not think about how our actions today can make a mess of tomorrow.

Every problem we try to fix, we create another problem. From technologies we feed our time into, from antibiotic use leading to more resistant strains, and even the use and abuse of nuclear energy, man has created more problems trying to fix what is wrong. The greeks are saying we are not the answer. Our Bible says the same thing. "All mankind stands as a mere breath." We know this is true. None of us could give us the name of our great great great grandfather. Even if we showed you his picture. And thats our family. And that will also be you in the blink of an eye.

We are a millisecond in the span of history. We are so limited in our scope, we don't know whats going on at our house, our car, our work, or even whats happening behind us. But most of the time, we forget this, because our culture tells us we are great, mighty, and must grasp the power within. Don't believe me? Walk into a book store. Self-helps books. When did we start becoming such great repairers? When did we become fixers? We only try to numb our problems for a second.

I am not awesome. And this is the foundation of our joy. We must go outside ourselves to something else who has the time and scope to fix out problems. Romans 8 - "the mind set in the flesh is death. The mind set on the spirit is life and peace." A grid of moral behaviors leads to death. Christ's life is the fulfillment of the law. His crucifixion pulls off the wrath, and the resurrection is the washing clean of us before the Lord.

No matter what problem I go though, I cannot fix it. I need someone who can transcend my weaknesses. This is only found in the body of Christ. May this remain in my heart and mind this summer in the Philippines, as the Creator continues to fix and mould me. Only the Lord can settle my spirit.

Uncreative

It has been very busy. We have been leading group from Texas Super Summer, which comprises of 123 high school age teenagers. Hence why I have not blogged for so long! But have no fear! Awesome things are still continuing to happen here, even when I do not have time to contrive a clever blog. God has used the students in great ways, and has reveled Himself through various means. From real life people to the tale of Toy Story 3, our Father has taught us through many means. Even in these times were we are at the end of our rope, we still wake up and lead our teams, because in our weaknesses, He is stronger. I hope to write a few more stories become I come back, which is sadly, soon. Continue to pray for the people of Japan, that they might personally know their maker.

The Better Dessert

It was similar to I-Hop, with a Japanese Country twist: Their main and most famous dishes were omelets. Its a Thursday night, and sitting across the table from me is a very unlikely contact. He is a high class professional businessman in Shibuya, Tokyo. The company he works for is an immense pharmaceutical giant in the world of medicine, and here he is, sitting across from me.

The beginning of our relationship is how many should start, but countless times never do. I am at Starbucks, drinking my overpriced Japanese coffee, when out of the corner of my eye, I see him holding a piece of paper with Kongi and English. This was my segway for conversation. As we began to talk, I soon found out he would travel to New York, Chicago, and LA to close deals for his company. You do not send a low level businessmen to represent your company in America. He was so delighted to talk and interested in my story that he offered to take me to dinner in the future.

We connected at this local Japanese casual restaurant, and it is here the mystery of the Gospel was presented to him. As we dove into the topic of religions, I knew my work was cut out for me. Most Japanese do not believe in a religion, but most believe there are 8 million gods, and everything around you is a god. Not to limit the amount of gods, for the 8 stands for infinity. This man believed somewhere along these lines. So then, after intently listening to his thoughts and views, I begin to layout a case for Christ.

We discuss a multitude of topics, from the historical accuracy of the Bible, the nature of God, and the differences between Christianity and all other worldly religions. But as I found through personal experience, numbers of manuscripts and theological philosophy will not fully capture the image of Christ to those who are lost. The most personal and powerful story of the Gospel is not found in an academic book or in statistics - it is found in us. The story of how Jesus’ good news saved and changed us.

This story comes from the heart. As I began to pour out my life of how Christ changed me, I could see true understanding in his eyes. My friend was not bored with the story. I quoted the end of the beatitudes in Matthew were Jesus calls us to be salt and light in the world, to let our light so shine before men that they will see our works and glorify our God who is in heaven. I told him how I want my life to be different.

This was the sticking point to move into a metaphor of how I wanted my life to be. I heard this example many years ago, and through the years, it has flowed into the context of my conversation. But never before as perfect as this.

“Imagine I am eating a dessert,” I said. “Its just so good, the cream, the chocolate, the little nuts that tie the flavor together...This is perfect.” (Cue waiter, walking to table beside us with breathtaking dessert.) “But wait, look at that dessert over there. It makes mine look like nothing! Look at the precision, the creativity, the flavors, the art. After looking at it, I feel like mine is missing something. I wish I could have that something which makes it different. I want the better dessert.”

God’s perfect timing spurred me on to drive home the point. When people see my life, I want them to see me as the better dessert. I want them to look at their life and say, “What does he have that I don’t?” In this world of darkness and despair, in this world of seeker and sinners, every person is looking for something to fulfill their life. As the believers in Antioch whom first were called Christians, may we be salt to a tasteless life, may we be light to the dark places, and in a world searching for something more, may we be the better dessert.

Pray for my friend, as I connect him with a missionary who lives here, he will continue to have a thirst and desire to know the one and true God of the Bible.

Supernatural

Birds eat worms. Or so they have for as long as I could remember. I was going to meet T, my contact from Hosei University in the afternoon to go to a breakdancing club competition, so I stayed close to home and was doing park ministry in Kichijogi. We had shepherded the group to the park, and dispersed to start-up conversations through frisbees or other means. And yes, I do mean any other means.

As I sat down to read more of "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel, the person on the bench next to me moved. Great, I thought, another person running for their life. I looked down on the ground to find a worm willowing in the mud. There were birds over by the pond - this could be fun! The little 10 year-old child came out in me, and with mud crusted fingers, I walked my prize over to a group of greedy and clamorous pigeons. I threw the worm onto the ground, waiting for the immediate demise of the poor worm, but to my surprise, the birds did not even notice it. They continued to jump around, not even acknowledging the miraculous gift I bestowed on them. The early bird gets the worm, right? Birds eat worms, right? But not these! These were the birds who did not eat worms.

I had a quiet audience of one sitting on a nearby bench, quietly smirking and internally laughing as he read the distraught in my face and actions. He pointed to the pond and said, "The fish." Inside the pond, there are fish bigger than your cat. So I threw the worm, who only thought he has escaped fate, into the pond, to be eaten by the abnormal size fish. Since he was the initiator of the conversation, I sat down beside him, and we began to talk.

Talk we did, but communication came easier than it should of. This poor fellow, currently a young businessman, spoke as much English as I do Spanish. For those of you who know me, thats not much at all. But God had used ancient work in this mans life - He knew of Christ and of the Sesisho, or the Bible. I thank God for "The Passion," for by this movie, the Japanese people actually know of the story of Christ. Talk about background information taking coming to life!

He knew of the cross, and made the gesture of a nail going into the wrist of his hand. As I gave him the Gospel of John in Japanese, I would find verses in my English Bible and would have him look it up in his own language. He was open to learning more, so I pulled out our bi-lingual Steps to Peace with God tracts. He heard the gospel and was able to read it in his own language.

He understood. One of the last verses we use is Revelation 3:20 - "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and lets me in, I will come and eat with him, and he with me." We then ask the person, "Where is Jesus knocking? Where is the door?" He answered with the gesture of his heart. Many Japanese do not understand this very fact.

He did not become a Christian, but wanted to learn more of the Bible. I told him I would find a Japanese Christian who he could talk to and teach more of the Bible. For this I am glad, because many people push for salvations on a mission trip so they can check the box and move on with their life. I do not want this for the people I invest in - becoming a Christian is a big deal. It is not a prayer you simply pray. Becoming a Christian will change every day after for eternity. Praise God the people I have ministered to do not want to so blindly place their faith in God. Our God does not want a blind love. But that is a different story.

Supernatural means superseding the normality of nature. The birds who would not eat worms was a supernatural event. Even in the smallest ways, God uses supernatural events so the ordinary may experience the extraordinary love He freely gives. As we are commanded, make use of every opportunity. Especially the supernatural ones.

Pray for the contacts I have here! Sonya (J-girl) and I had dinner with N, my woman of peace from the begenning of the trip. It was amazing! She has so much love in her, but it is misplaced. She went to a Baptist church while living in the states and has had SO many God moments in her life. What a powerful testimony of divine appointments she will have will God calls her to Himself!

Pray for S, a man from Laos whom I was able to pour into. A case for Christ was laid down, and the gospel was presented. He too wanted God very badly, but He wanted his decision to have value to it. Praise Jesus for that. I am going to call him tomorrow to set up a time to meet and study the bible more.

Pray for T, my contact from Hosei University who took me to a club for breakdancers, not a university breakdancing club. Talk about translation error. But our relationship increased from time spent together, and pray God would give me wisdom in how/when to share the gospel with him.

Pray for T, the business man I spoke of from the park. Pray I will find the right Japanese Christian to connect with him!

Pray for H, a co-mamager of marketing at a huge international pharmaceutical company. God let me meet him at Starbucks, and we have dinner on Thursday night. May I be able to connect him with a fluent Japanese missionary who works with business men and professional baseball players here.

Pray for Y, a contact with great english pronunciation but lacking vocabulary. He learned english from music, and was very interested in Bible and wanted me to teach him. Pray I will be able to stay in contact for him, and so he will not fall off of the map.

Pray for T, a Japanese Olympic trampolinist who will be competing in Canada this week for the Canada Cup. He is interested in hanging out with me, and was interested in the Bible. Pray for times and opportunities for when he returns.

Pray for A, an American fluent in Japanese who works here. Pray I would be able to meet with him and pour the love of God into him.

Pray for Y and M, two contacts who were good ground but have totally fallen off of the map. Have not heard from them in weeks, which is sad. Pray that if I am to connect with them, God would do so.

Finally, pray for Me. Literally, pray for Dan. It is hard to juggle all these people and relationships. Sometimes I feel like I am cheating on a friend as I try to maintain these relationships all over Tokyo. It would be so easy to shut-down and do nothing. But living a life of purpose comes at a cost. Sometimes we walk into the harvest of another, and other times we sow what we will not reap. We in Japan are sowers, and take joy in being sowers. But the life of a sower is difficult - we must continually look at our life and work through heaven's eyes. Not always an easy thing for us as humans to do. Pray God would use me, and ignite me to further love these people.

Thankyou for your time in reading and for your prayers. Prayer is the number one goal and weapon of the mission in Japan - something you can help us in, even 7,000 miles away. Grace and peace be with you from our Lord Jesus.

Freely Falling

It never fails to happen - something always falls out of your Bible as soon as you open it. Or so is the case with me. Today marks the 37th day I have been on the mission field in Tokyo, Japan, and although the work done here has been amazing, living life here has been a challenge like none other.

I live in an underground apartment floor, split in half for girls and guys, with 27 other people. There is only one place where we can get wireless internet access, which is the winding hallway between both sides of the cave (clever name for the underground apartment floor). We eat, sleep, and do ministry with each other 24 hours a day. Few of us knew each other before we came to Japan, we range from ages 17-22, different colleges, different states, different personalities, and different walks of life. As one of the journeymen missionaries said, "Just add cameras, and you have Christian reality TV. The saddest part is I would actually want to watch it!"

Thus is the story of our lives here. But, through all the differences, we have our common thread - Christ. And what a powerful thread He is. We have had no divisions of unity or any notable strife. I say nothing notable, for the hardest challenge we face is for everyone to wash their own dishes! But pouring our hearts out to the Japanese every day, as well as walking a few to several miles every day within Tokyo, we much be careful. So our head missionary planned a 3 day retreat for us to relax in the mountains and grow as a team, for we still have work to do here.

Here we were, in the valley of the beautiful mountains, so far out (but still inside Tokyo), you have to push a button to make the train doors open. At a Christian camp focused on reaching military kids and serving MKs, we found our place of renewal. I open my Bible, and, almost on cue, I have Hope tracks and Steps to Peace tracks fall out. I annoyingly reached over to pick them up, when a though ran across my head. How ironic it was to have peace and hope fall from my Bible.

But the illustration goes much deeper, as the parables of Jesus often do. As Christians, we have Jesus who lives inside us. As John the Baptist puts it, I must decrease, so He might increase. We are in a process of dying to the old self and putting on the new self, the self which has Jesus as its very core. From John the Apostle we know Jesus is the Word - For in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. The same Word by which light, and all things were created, in the beginning. And by the hand of Paul, we are called to be imitators of Christ, imitators of the Word.

We are the Word to a lost world, a world which so desperately needs purpose. A world which needs hope. A world which needs life.

May those who open the pages of our life find peace and hope freely falling upon them; and as they kneel down to pick it up, may they lift their eyes to see the eternal giver of it all.