Thoughts of a Servant

In life, I believe that there are two types of missions: (1) the type of mission you are on when you are in Love, with a family, with a specific role, and (2) the type of mission you do where you are out in the world doing whatever it is you need to in order to accomplish God’s will.

Neither one is better in worth, and they both have their positives and negatives.  But for me, I have been recently thinking about what it is that I am supposed to do. Should I get involved with a relationship, eventually settle down, and be on a mission in my own back yard?  Or should I take the risk, and go abroad– do an intensive study, like Seminary, and then work full time in the mission field.  The world needs both, and I often find myself in prayer about this very situation because I want God to put me in His will.  If I am meant to help people here, then so be it– I will do it with all of my heart.  And the same goes for being abroad.

Ya know what, there are always these types of decisions that we have to deal with throughout our life.  Often times God will never give us a utterly concrete direction for whatever reason.  But regardless of our decision, God will use it for good.  I have had some great conversations and thinking sessions about where we are and what we are supposed to be.  Regardless of whether we are out on the field, or in our own back yard, we have an image to uphold.  We were created in Christ’s image.  And as the Bible states, “… as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with eachother and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all of these virtues put on love, which binds them together in perfect unity.” (Colossians 3:12-14)

It is almost Christmas time, everyone has emptied their pockets into bountiful gifts and priceless memories of this holiday season.  This year, I can joyfully say that I have never been more blessed.  I have been receiving letter after letter from my kids and from my friends in Africa and they just express so much joy and gratefulness in having our friendship.  They remember me by name and recognize me as their friend and familia even though I might have not met them.  Oh how I miss being with my friends in Africa, and how I long to spend time with my kids.What an amazing gift to give– a letter of gratitude and love.

Thats a tear-jerker.

So I was absolutely blown away by this girl at Jersey Mikes, which is a deli over in Aliso Viejo / Laguna Woods.  I have not been in there for almost 3-4 months, and the second I walk in she greets me by my name.  How mind-blowing is that!  I naturally have a hard time with names, but for her it is second nature.  It hit me, no one in Orange County / LA would ever want to remember your name, but she has made an effort to know you.

This story GREATLY juxtaposes with the night before.  I was at the Rack (Nordstroms-  im an outlet guy, thats how I roll.. and i’m cheap. haha).  There was this middle aged lady that had a BASKET full of clothes.  The store had one checkout, and I was the only other one in line, with a VERY FAST one item checkout, but she thought she would be quick– so I stayed behind her.

First of all, she was on her phone– She went to the cashier, and the cashier had to wait for her to get off her phone before she could start unloading her large cart onto the checkout.  But I will admit, she was having a great conversation, and I would have chimed in at some point too…  It was about her husband, child support, her investments, her properties, the party last night, etc.  Its like I know her– she was certainly loud enough.

Not only that– she didn’t know if she wanted to buy everything she had in the cart.  Once she hung up on her girlfriend she was able to take eeeeeacch item out of the cart, put it on the counter, … check the price … then decide whether she wanted the cashier to scan it.  Mind you, she had a fulllll cart.  I was cracking up.  I had one item, and I was agitated, but I couldn’t IMAGINE how the cashier felt hahaha, they had to be nice to her.

Funnnnny stuff.

I am trying to research many religions as it is one of the many battles we will face when reaching out to people.  My friend recently said she was a firm believer in Yogi and Astrology.  I was listening to a radio station with a fortune teller and it just blew me away.  I feel I need to know more about this religion, I need to find the similarities and differences so that I may share my faith with them in a way that they will listen.

Keep me strong Lord.

Its a Saturday– I am in crunch time for some deadlines on a few projects.  But in the midst of all the craziness I got hit with this pretty cool fact.  I have been spending the past month or so on a single web project trying to make the program function the way I want it to.  It has been interesting, but think about this.  There is Someone who had created the entire universe, life, creation, birds, trees, water, stars, ecosystems, feelings, from past to present to future etc. in 1/3 the time it has taken me to create almost a functioning program.

Kinda makes you think right?

First of all, I am happy to say that my roommate just got Baptized!  I am stoked for him.  I have known him for a while, and he is such an awesome dude.  But the pastor of his college group has to find new work because of the Church finances.  This is very hurtful for those who have grown so close to him, and I am not trying to downsize any pain that they may be feeling, because it does hurt.  But last night, they expressed how much love he shares, how much he cares, and how much he wants to make a difference in this world.  The only thing I could think about was how blessed someone will be to receive him as a Pastor.

I got to thinking, its common for us to say “we are exactly where we need to be.”  And thats perfectly fine, but even more so: we are only there as long as we need to be.  God ignites a fire inside of his people, and then sends them out.  We, the church, are not supposed to be a controlled furnace of flames, we are supposed to be the wildfire in the forest going rapidly in each direction.  What a picture.

As I sit here, I wonder at times what I am doing with my life– This is such a common question, but I think if we are not asking that question then we are not growing and looking for opportunities.  We need to question ourselves so that we can grow.  If we are not being persecuted, we need to question our motives so that we can continue to grow in Christ.  I believe that we grow quickest if we are being tested, and if we are being tested, we are doing something right.

Have a splendid day.

Jon

I have nothing against the Holidays–  This includes Christmas, New Year, Thanksgiving, etc.  These are all excellent.  But I do not like how every single year I feel I need to be the best in each.  I am a man, I need to eat more than everyone on Thanksgiving– Need to have better gifts than everyone on Christmas– and be at the best party on New Year.  What is this?!

We always forget the core foundation of these holidays which is family time, celebrating a birth of a Savior, and a new beginning.

But I am back on track.  I spent the day researching other religions, and ways to get me more involved in outward ministry–

Francis Chan told a story of how he brought his grandmother to a play at a great theater.  They were sitting there enjoying the show, but at intermission Francis asked his grandmother if she was enjoying the play– She shockingly replied, “I don’t really want to be here.”  She went on to explain that being at a play is not where she wants to be if the Lord came back this very moment!

Thats super important!

We live our lives with some form of this excuse: God hasn’t come yet… So why should he come now?!  But its exact ally like saying, “I haven’t died yet, so why would I die?!”

Hmmm.

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be different from other guys when it comes to relationships.  I never wanted to be associated with a dude chasing girls, obsessing over women, trying to “get” women for their pleasure.  I grew up with a great respect for women, and I often find myself avoiding the relationships in case it would bring a difficult situation.  I simply hate when men cheat, lie, etc.  I cannot accept the fact that what other men do hurts women and eventually casts a harsh stereotype onto my personality.  But I met someone who has somehow looked past that stereotype in order to try and understand me a little more.  How blessed I am to know her.

I only wish that I had the ability to impress with words and emotions– but sometimes the only way I can express myself in words is through letters, actions or poetry.  It is difficult for me to share something as I gaze into the eyes of someone I admire because my mind lingers in the darkness of their eyes.  As you look into their eyes, you see something that intrigues you, something that makes you want to know them, something that connects you to them.

So I had the most amazing opportunity to go to Vegas with my company.  The people at my company are so generous and they have a way of including everyone.  We met up with another company and partied the night away (am I allowed to say that hahaha.  But nothing bad).  I have a point to this in just a second, .  The experience was awesome, the dinner was the best I have ever had– The transportation was out of this world in respects to luxury, the room was stunning.  I was utterly thankful to be blessed like this in an economy where struggle is a common notion.

However, the next day I will admit that I suffered from what I think was minor culture shock.  I began thinking of all of the $$ spent the night before– I drank wine that was close to twice my age if not more… But with that single glass of wine, could have produced close to 30 new sponsors for children so they can get a better education, nutrition, etc.  With dinner in its fullness, could have probably funded several church plants.  JUST that one night could have probably funded several hundred missionaries with food and shelter for months.

I am truly grateful that I was able to experience this– It got my butt back into high gear in what I am meant to be doing.   Its amazing to see the different levels of incomes and their perspectives on situations.  There is no doubt that people who make more money will have the benefit of going to Hawaii for a month with the family, but I believe that this is completely relative to any income and it has the same relational influence… Let me explain my thought…

For someone who has a modest income, they can go out on a picnic with the family and have a great time– play some frizbee, football, etc.  This is a great time with the family– It is the same situation with those who can go to Guam for a week with the family.  Their setting is different because of their income, but honestly– it doesn’t make their family “closer” just by going to Guam, they just have that capability because they have been blessed financially.

But yes, there is a mistreatment of money– There is always a way to mistreat something whether its food, money, love, friends, etc.  But in a general aspect, I think it is only relative to the lifestyle we live in….

Just a thought.

Jon