Is my heart being reshaped? Am I being forged for some kind of mission?
The more I look at our greedy, self-magnifying culture, the more I wonder what cultural baggage I'm carrying that is causing me to miss the purpose and beauty of life.
Materialism has gripped the heart of the West and with its general rejection of God the Creator under the guise of spiritual "liberation", the choice to believe in nothing has resulted in a belief in anything. It's a smorgasbord of false gods where you take a spoonful of this, a slice of that, pile up your plate with what looks delicious... but in the end it all has the same bland taste and you wind up still feeling rather empty.
I'm feeling the pinch financially, and I'm sure we're in the clutches of a economic recession. But this is NOTHING. We whinge and complain about interest rates, bank fees, petrol prices, grocery bills, etc. But this really is nothing if we care to think outside of our immediate selfish wants.
As I prepare for Russia, I am hoping God will break my heart with what I experience. I want it broken and reshaped into something beautiful for Him. I want to rid myself of this cultural baggage and discover something real and lasting. I know I can only find it in Him.
What are your gods?
Monday, March 31, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
SEND ME TO RUSSIA!
The brochure in the corner
Recently on a trip to Canberra with Janene and the kids (Janene is studying Christian Family Counseling and was doing res-school for 3 days), we visited the local Koorong bookstore to do some shopping.
In the back corner of the shop I, for some reason, decided to look at the local noticeboard. My eyes nearly popped outta my head when I saw the title of a big A4 newsletter "Love For Kids - RUSSIA".
I quickly unpinned the newsletter and started reading. The title inside presented its challenge - Will you send? Will you GO?.
That challenge ate at me for the next 10 mins or so while I walked around the shop holding the smaller brochure that I'd also unpinned from the noticeboard. Then finally, flexing my huge grin, I showed Janene... who returned a suspicious glance at me with a slow motion "Ahuh".
Needless to say I got a photocopy of the flyer from the staff at Koorong and thoughts of Russia consumed me for the rest of the day, and that night... and pretty much ever since!
I found the website (kidsoutreach.org) and emailed the director with a blurb about my long-time desire to be involved in some kind of ministry in Russia. Kari replied to my email in a very welcoming and encouraging way that just reinforced my desire to get busy!
So anyway, a few days later I'd made the decision - I'LL GO! Kari Lehelmä advised me it's likely I'll join a group leaving on the 15th June, that's around 3 months away so I better get crackin!
What will I be doing? Friendship evangelism! We're showing the love of Christ to kids who otherwise may not experience much love at all - especially since a large portion of the kids will be orphans, street kids and disadvantaged.
I'm brushing up on my Russian, although it's more like brushing a crew cut, because there's not much there to brush yet. So I'm really going back to basics and re-learning.
MONEY
It's terrible to need it, and even worse to ask for it. I personally hate it when I get phonecalls at dinnertime from telemarketing charities asking for donations. So I'm sure people are equally annoyed when I'm going to have to basically beg for support to get me over there.
I'm sure some people are going to think I just want a free holiday - but I think I'd be more interested in seeing the sights than being stuck in a dormitory with other leaders and eating cafeteria food. It's not a matter of where, but WHO. These kids are gonna love having us there as friends, while learning about our culture and our faith.
PLEDGE
I'm asking people for donations. Big or small! If anybody is reading this and wants to contribute even a few bucks, please contact me ASAP!
Whether you can afford a cash donation or not, please take a minute or so to PRAY for this. Thanks!
Recently on a trip to Canberra with Janene and the kids (Janene is studying Christian Family Counseling and was doing res-school for 3 days), we visited the local Koorong bookstore to do some shopping.
In the back corner of the shop I, for some reason, decided to look at the local noticeboard. My eyes nearly popped outta my head when I saw the title of a big A4 newsletter "Love For Kids - RUSSIA".
I quickly unpinned the newsletter and started reading. The title inside presented its challenge - Will you send? Will you GO?.
That challenge ate at me for the next 10 mins or so while I walked around the shop holding the smaller brochure that I'd also unpinned from the noticeboard. Then finally, flexing my huge grin, I showed Janene... who returned a suspicious glance at me with a slow motion "Ahuh".
Needless to say I got a photocopy of the flyer from the staff at Koorong and thoughts of Russia consumed me for the rest of the day, and that night... and pretty much ever since!
I found the website (kidsoutreach.org) and emailed the director with a blurb about my long-time desire to be involved in some kind of ministry in Russia. Kari replied to my email in a very welcoming and encouraging way that just reinforced my desire to get busy!
So anyway, a few days later I'd made the decision - I'LL GO! Kari Lehelmä advised me it's likely I'll join a group leaving on the 15th June, that's around 3 months away so I better get crackin!
What will I be doing? Friendship evangelism! We're showing the love of Christ to kids who otherwise may not experience much love at all - especially since a large portion of the kids will be orphans, street kids and disadvantaged.
I'm brushing up on my Russian, although it's more like brushing a crew cut, because there's not much there to brush yet. So I'm really going back to basics and re-learning.
MONEY
It's terrible to need it, and even worse to ask for it. I personally hate it when I get phonecalls at dinnertime from telemarketing charities asking for donations. So I'm sure people are equally annoyed when I'm going to have to basically beg for support to get me over there.
I'm sure some people are going to think I just want a free holiday - but I think I'd be more interested in seeing the sights than being stuck in a dormitory with other leaders and eating cafeteria food. It's not a matter of where, but WHO. These kids are gonna love having us there as friends, while learning about our culture and our faith.
PLEDGE
I'm asking people for donations. Big or small! If anybody is reading this and wants to contribute even a few bucks, please contact me ASAP!
Whether you can afford a cash donation or not, please take a minute or so to PRAY for this. Thanks!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)