Europe 2009 and Ukraine 2010

What I learned about Missions

2010-12-15T13:24:00.012-06:00

To teach the class on missions I had to study the subject. Some new aspects stood out this time and I would like to share some of them. I spent most of my time in the Bible focusing on the Old Testament. Missions in the New Testament is very blatantly obvious. But for most it is hard to see in the Old Testament.

Essentially as I looked for Missions in the Old Testament it is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. What I mean is that God's desire and command for spreading the worship of Him throughout the world has always been there, but the Israelites failed completely to obey God's commands.

The first missions concept comes in the first chapter. We have two recorded commands given to humanity before the fall. Don't eat the fruit and be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. Mankind was made in the image of God. We are God's representatives on Earth. From the beginning God wanted His image, His representative of His reign over all the earth. With the Fall mankind stopped worshiping God and began misrepresenting Him. Nevertheless, the command still applies because it is repeated to Noah in Genesis 9. The Tower of Babel is an example of man's rebelliousness against God's command. From this we learn that God wants His representatives to truthfully represent Him over all of His creation.

From Genesis 12 through the rest of the Old Testament the focus is on Abraham and his descendants the Israelites. The Hebrew people are God's people. But why did He pick the Hebrews? What purpose did God have in selecting the Hebrews? After promising to Abraham that his descendants would become a great nation and that God would bless them God says "And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." The whole purpose of selecting the Israelites was to reach out and bless the nations.

This all stems from the character of God. He creates originally because He wants to bless. Adam and Eve rebel and so He must curse them (Gen. 3:16-19). The fact that the story continues with humanity not being fully destroyed can only be because God wants to restore blessing to His creation.

There are four stages in which God acts differently in appealing for man to follow Him obediently. The first failed. God let man more or less alone between Adam and Abraham. The people were so bad God had to flood the earth with Noah.

With Abraham we enter into the second stage. The question of the first is "will people follow me if I leave them alone?" The answer is no. In the second stage the question is "will people follow me if I tell them what to do?" Once the Israelites had become numerous enough and came out of Egypt God gave them the Law. Why? He gave them the Law because He wanted to bless them and have that blessing pass onto the nations.

All the earth is under the curse. As you look at the Law you notice that it is a very simple system that is summarized very succinctly in Deuteronomy 27-30. Essentially the idea is God gives the nation a set of laws. If they obey these laws the curse that affects everyone else around them would be reversed to a curse. The Israelites would see prosperity, long life, peace, etc. while all the other nations experienced the plight of the curse. If they were not obedient to the Law God would curse them and they would not prosper.

The goal is for Israel to be obedient so He can bless them. The notion of a city on a hill, which is applied to the nation, to Jerusalem, and to the Temple is that if obedient God would bless Israel so much that they would be like a city that provides refuge from a cold dark world. The nations stuck in the curse would see the blessing Israel was receiving and stream to Israel and ask why they are so blessed, to which Israel was to answer "because God has given us this Law and we love and worship Him and He loves us." One by one the nations would come and begin to worship the Lord until the worship of God was restored over all the earth. At least in theory...

The problem is not with the theory it is with the people. The Israelites constantly fail and disobey so they are cursed. They never receive the blessing because they are disobedient and so no nations come to Israel to worship God.

But, just because Israel failed does not mean that God was not about missions to the nations in the Old Testament. God's whole purpose with Israel was to save the nations.

The other two stages He uses by the way are the life of Christ where the question is "what happens when I not only tell them what to do (which was a failure with Israel in the Old Testament) but I give them an example of how I want people to live (Jesus)?" The answer is the people take that example and they put Him on a tree and kill Him. But this brings about the fourth stage which was the plan all along, which was for God to put His Spirit into people and change them from the inside. "What happens when my Spirit comes into a person and changes their character?" The answer is the worship of God through the Church spreads throughout the whole world.

But back to the Old Testament. If you are not convinced that the Old Testament was all about missions, although the Israelites failed God, just look at Jesus' evaluation of the sum of the Old Testament. Jesus has just resurrected and this is one of His first appearances to the disciples in Luke 24:44-47-

"Now He said to them, "These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem."

Notice the two things that are mentioned that Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms spoke about Him: 1) that He would suffer and rise on the third day, and 2) repentance and forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

Missions is the among the essential fundamental themes in the Bible. From the Fall to the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth the Bible is about God's mission to restore blessing to His people who worship Him.

Here is a list of Old Testament references prophesying that the nations will find blessing in Israel:
(Genesis 12:3, 22:18, 49:10, Deuteronomy 32:21, Psalms 2:8, 22:25-31, 46:4, 10, 65:2, 5, 66:4, 67:1-7, 68:31-32,72:8-11, 16, 19, 86:9-10, 102:12-22, 145:10-11, Isaiah 2:2-4, 9:2, 6-7, 11:1-10, 18:7, 24:16, 35:1-2, 5-7, 40:5, 42:1, 4, 45:8, 22-24, 49:1, 5-6, 18-23, 54:1-3, 55:1-5, 56:4-8, 60:1-22, 66:18-24, Jeremiah 3:17-18, 4:2, 16:19–21, Ezekiel 47:3–5, Daniel 2:35, 44, 7:13, 14, Hosea 2:23, Joel 2:28–32, Amos 9:11, 12, Micah 4:3, 4, Haggai 2:7, Zechariah 2:10, 11, 6:15, 8:20–22, 8:23, 9:1, 10, 14:8, 9, 16, Malachi 1:11)

Here is a list of Old Testament prophesies of future Gentile conversions:
(Genesis 12:3, 22:18, 49:10, Deuteronomy 32:21, Psalms 2:8, 22:27–31, 46:4, 10, 65:2, 5, 66:4, 68:31, 32, 72:8–11, 16, 19, 86:9, 102:15, 18–22, 145:10, 11, Isaiah 2:2–4, 9:2, 6, 7, 11:6–10, 18:7, 24:16, 35:1, 2, 5–7, 40:5, 42:1, 4 , 45:8, 22–24, 49:1, 5, 6, 18–23, 54:1–3, 55:5, 56:3, 6–8, 60:1, 3–5, 8–14, 65:1, 66:12, 19, 23, Jeremiah 3:17, 4:2, 16:19–21, Ezekiel 47:3–5, Daniel 2:35, 44, 7:13, 14, Hosea 2:23, Joel 2:28–32, Amos 9:11, 12, Micah 4:3, 4, Haggai 2:7, Zechariah 2:10, 11, 6:15, 8:20–22, 8:23, 9:1, 10, 14:8, 9, 16, Malachi 1:11)

As you can see God was always concerned with the nations. That has not changed. He still desires blessing to go out to the entire world so that people everywhere may worship the one true God.

Going Forward/Next Steps

2010-12-15T13:24:00.011-06:00

Ultimately the trip was a success. I saw exactly what I needed to see and can now make an informed decision about my future. The trip was by no means completely enjoyable. I was able to see what life would be like and some of the major difficulties that I would face if I end up going to Ukraine.

At this point, whether God makes it clear that I need to go to Ukraine or somewhere else it will take time. Part of going to Ukraine would raising support to go with SEND to the field. This is a process that takes time. Also, SEND demands that missionaries are debt free before going overseas. I have debt from seminary that I will need to pay off before anything happens. this process will more than likely take a year or two.

So given that and some of the red flags that came up my focus is not on Ukraine at the present moment. My focus is on getting a job to make some money to get out of debt. And although there was some haziness as to whether I should end up in Ukraine I came back with clarity in another area. Being away really made clear that I like my girlfriend Amy a lot and that she is really a special woman. We have dated for almost six months and we are taking a trip to meet her family this week and at New Years taking one to meet my family. We are moving towards marriage and so this is where my focus will be for the time being. If we work out and the Lord blesses us with a marriage then the decision on Ukraine becomes a joint venture. Amy is very open to the idea of possibly living in Ukraine. In the meantime we are dealing with first things first.

So as of right now that means that my next steps will be to finish my last one week class, get a job, focus on my relationship with Amy, and work towards paying off my debt. Amy will finish with school in a year and a half, which is roughly when I will have my debt paid off. So, until then I will focus on the here and now and put the future on hold, although Ukraine appears to be a very real possibility.

Thank you for playing a part in this process with me. It is far from over but it has hit a time where it will not be at the forefront of my energy for a period unless God says otherwise. Right now He is calling me to focus on finances and my girl. He is good and will lead where He will. I'm enjoying the ride.

Missions Class in Chernivtsi

2010-12-15T13:24:00.009-06:00

The center of the trip was a missions class that I was able to teach with Kyle, one of their missionaries in Chernivtsi. Churches since the Fall of Communism have developed institutes and Bible colleges of varying levels of organization and scope. These schools and institutes offer one week classes for students. Most are working another job, even if they are the pastor of their local church, so one week classes are managable for their situations.

Chernivtsi is located on the picture below in the southwest part of the country near Moldova and Romania. It is much more European than parts of central or Eastern Ukraine.

We had a wide range of students in the class. One student was 15 years old, others were in their 40s. Some were doing ministry in their local church others were participating in para-church organizations, others were planning on ministry in the future. Despite the range of differences they were all very willing and eager to learn. The idea of missions as a pervasive Biblical concept has just recently entered into the Ukrainian church's awareness. So, much of the material for them was brand new.

The subject matter we taught was what the Bible had to say about missions, the history of missions, practical life and ministry of missionaries, connection of sending churches and missionaries, strategies and methods of missions, and strategies for the Ukrainian church and missions.

Here are some photos from the class:

The second photo is a Japenese meal that we had to give the students a cross cultural experience. It is very entertaining watching Ukrainians try to eat Japanese food with chopsticks. You don't need to know their language to understand frustration. They especially enjoyed the fish eggs and squid. Good times.

On a personal note I felt that I did very well teaching. Obviously its difficult using a translator and communicating despite cultural differences, but nevertheless I am very pleased with how I did. I was affirmed by the students, Kyle, and the translator. I was optimistic that I would be able to transfer the concepts I was teaching and the students clearly understood the material. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only was the content transferred but my passion for the topic as well. I was able to impart to them a passion that is Biblical and Godly for the lost around the world. As I developed certain concepts it was very encouraging to have the students begin to see where I was taking them before I got there. There were several times when they had grasped the topic I was teaching and were alreay anticipating the next.

One student named Dima is now thinking about missions, maybe in Africa, and another student named Sergei is thinking about missions as well. After we presented our strategies for how Ukraine could be involved in missions Sergei came up to me. He speaks minimal English but he communicated beautifully. He said God came to Jeremiah and said "Do you see?", and he said "I see". I heard what you said and God asked me "do you see?" and I see! He then proceeded to share a specific way God had given him an inroad into a missions opportunity we taught them about. There is nothing like knowing that God is speaking through His Spirit through you. As always the class was more than what we taught. It was a moment when God spoke about His care for the nations to these students and I am so blessed to have played a part.

Trip Recap Summary

2010-12-15T13:23:00.001-06:00

Sorry for the delay everyone. I got back to Dallas and had a week of classes, finals this week, Friday I go to Seattle to meet Amy's family (really excited about that) working around Christmas (I didn't have much of a choice with as much time as I have had off recently), a one week class- the last EVER, and then a trip back home to Phoenix and Amy will get to meet my family). So it goes without saying that I have been very busy.

But you all have followed the trip, prayed for me, and I owe you some updates on how the trip went. This post is a summary. If you want more details then feel free to read the other posts. Here are some bullet points from the trip:

* Trip was a success.
* The SEND team in Ukraine is incredible. They have very good chemistry, very friendly and hospitable, doing lots of good work.
* I love teaching. The class went well. The students responded positively. They are now considering how their churches can engage in missions and a few are now considering being missionaries themselves.
* There are some positive signs emerging in the Baptist Union. They are becoming more missionally minded.
* The younger generations are very excited about the Gospel.
* I was given the privilege of preaching at a mid-week service at the church in Chernivtsi. I learned I'm a great teacher and a good preacher.
* This trip really allowed me to see what life would look like there.
* There were some red flags that I saw. They are not black flags that would prevent me from for sure going but they are things to cautiously consider. If you really want to know what they were I can tell you individually.
* I'm excited about the future, individually, for Ukraine, and for the Second Coming! See my "Going Forward/Next Steps" Post for future plans

God at work in Kazakhstan

2010-12-04T12:04:00.002-06:00

Ukraine still has a strong connection with the other countries that were part of the Soviet Union. In the middle of Central Asia the Soviets controlled what is now several countries, including Kazakhstan. The entire region including Kazakhstan is mostly Muslim and has connections to the Islamic world.

During our Thanksgiving meal with the missionaries- which was awesome- I had the opportunity to meet a girl studying missions at the seminary in Kiev. Without knowing whether her identity or her family's would be affected I will leave her unnamed. She is staying with the Benge's who are missionaries with SEND. While having dinner with the Benge's I heard her story.

Her father was a well off business man in Kazakhstan until his gambling bankrupted him. He was thrown into prison and given 10 years- apparently bankruptcy in Kazakhstan is a little more serious than in the US. Having devastated his family's honor he turned to religion. He became a devout Muslim. He rose in the ranks until he became a Muslim Imam. Then miraculously Christ made himself known and he became a believer. His entire life changed. His behavior was so improved that his sentence went down from 10 years to 7, and then again to 2. Upon his release he returned to his family a new man.

His family was skeptical at first as you can imagine. Kazakhstan is predominantly Muslim and the man that they knew before jail had vanished. He no longer drank or gambled, he helped around the house, was loving and affectionate. After seeing the change in her father and experiencing the love of the local church her and her family members became Christians as well.

This was about a decade ago. Now she is preparing herself to be a missionary and spread the Gospel.

She shared a story of going into Uzbekistan, which is even more hostile to the Gospel than Kazakhstan, and sharing the Gospel. She and two Russian Christians passed out a survey and then asked followup spiritual questions to people. An imam saw the group and asked what they were doing. It started out friendly. The imam left and returned with two other imams and it became heated. They expressed disinterest in the Russian girls and thought it normal for them to be Christian. This was not a threat. But to have a Kazakh Christian speaking about it in Uzbekistan was appalling. They tried to intimidate her and threatened her to the point of insinuating that if they were out in the country rather than the big city she would be killed for saying such things.

She is brave and zealous for the Lord. Her and many others of our brothers and sisters in Central Asia need our prayers. I was fortunate enough to meet her and encourage her with some strategic ways to impact her region for the Gospel and I wanted to share that blessing with you. Our God is at work spreading His good news around the world.

Trip's All Done

2010-12-04T11:58:00.002-06:00

Hi everyone,
It's been a wild ride but the trip is at a close. I fly to Frankfurt tomorrow and will be back in Dallas on Monday. It has been a wonderful trip that has been extremely informative. Thank you all for your prayers.

It was not without its difficulties- my computer, which I was given at the beginning of seminary and which I have ridden like a horse has finally erupted. It hit its last legs in the middle of teaching the class last week. Thankfully I had most of the material for the class on my flash drive and was able to use Kyle's computer for the rest of the class. There was limited internet access for most of the last week and a half and so I have not been able to post. Sorry about that. Over the next several days or weeks I will give different posts that explain about the trip so stay tuned. God worked and I am overjoyed to share with you.

For now I'm going to rest and prepare for my long flight back to Dallas. After all I have a semester to finish when I get back, AHHH! Thank you all for the prayers. They were so very important to me and I really felt them. God is good and see you soon.

Updates on World Wide Missions

2010-11-25T14:12:00.005-06:00

During the Thanksgiving dinner with the SEND team I spoke with one of the international leaders of SEND who lives in Ukraine. He gave me some insight into what is happening with missions across the world. Here are some bullet points that he told me.

* The Lausanne Missions Conference this year was populated by a majority of people not from North America or Europe for the first time ever
* In 25 years the majority of missionary activity will be happening outside of the Western world
* Asian countries are drastically expanding their missions activity
* The Philippines is about 10% evangelical Christian. There are about 2 million Filipinos living overseas. The Filipinos are planning on mobilizing the roughly 200,000 evangelicals living in foreign countries doing normal jobs to spread the Gospel
* China is mobilizing for a missions movement
* If America is to play a major role in missions in decades to come they must do more than merely finance missions
* As the rest of the world becomes more closed to Westerners many areas are opened to other nationalities who are beginning to send their own people as missionaries

Simultaneously here in Ukraine there has been a surge in a desire of some of the strategic leaders here in the country to begin mobilizing Ukrainians to do missions themselves. After the fall of communism there was an exodus of many Ukrainians going as missionaries throughout the soviet union. Since then the Ukrainians have been very focused on themselves. After getting freedom for their people and the ability to spread the Gospel the Ukrainians for the last 15 years have focused on strengthening their churches. However, without warning or explanation, God has simultaneously begun stirring the hearts of several leaders of the Ukrainian churches to begin looking at ministry cross culturally. Ukraine is situated right in between Europe, Russia, and the Middle East. The Ukrainians are a few steps away from sending many throughout these regions with the Gospel.

God is truly the God of all and He is building His kingdom. He did not lie when He promised that He would be worshiped by people of every tribe, and tongue, and nation. God is moving at home and abroad. Our God reigns and His Kingdom is coming! Rejoice for God is sovereign

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T14:40:00.007-06:00

Hi everyone,
My days have been busy with learning about ministry over here. I have met with several of the team members and sat in on someone's Russian language class, an English club, and a class in a church promoting missions. Having a blast.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I get to experience it even over here. The team living in Kiev will have a celebration tomorrow complete with Turkey and maybe a streamed NFL game. Good times.

Being here I can see there are several things for you and I to be thankful for:
1) God is real
2) God loves us
3) We know Him and will live with Him forever
4) Friends and family that pray for me
5) Food and provision

As for this trip here are some things that I am thankful for that I've learned from this trip:
1) God is working all over the world
2) There is joy in service to God
3) My home country does not have a divorce rate of 80%
4) God is moving in Ukraine and driving them towards missions throughout the world
5) God has provided for me to be here and has continued to provide strength and endurance

Here are some reasons for you to be thankful:
1) You live in one of the richest areas of the world
2) You have free access to the Bible, teaching, and community
3) You live in a place that has strong stability both with the government and society
4) You have no shortage of food, water, or shelter
5) God will return and make even what we have now infinitely better!

Here are some pictures from so far:

I'm Here

2010-11-21T07:58:00.002-06:00

I made it. I was picked up. I'm in Bruce's apartment. I'm resting and getting caught up on college football. Life is good. This week I'll be spending time with the Send team and next week it's off to Chernivtsi to teach the class. Thanks for the prayers...now for rest

I Leave in 2 Days

2010-11-18T19:51:00.003-06:00

Hi everyone. I am two days away. I fly out in the afternoon on Saturday to Frankfurt, will arrive there 10 hours later, wait a few hours for the layover, and then on to Kiev. The first week will be spent with the SEND INTERNATIONAL team. I will have dinner with many of them and we will discuss further details of their agency and what it is like to live in Ukraine and work with SEND. The next week will be in Chernivtsi where Kyle and I will teach the intro to missions class.

I have the material for the class mostly finished and put into a powerpoint. They translated the powerpoint into Ukrainian and sent it back to me. On the title page my name is spelt Найджел Келлі. Thought you might enjoy that.

I had the privilege of having lunch with a couple from the team who are on home assignment. They shared with me that the Ukraine church has experienced in the past year a surge in their interest in missions. Apparently the idea that they could and should participate in missions is a novel idea and many are excited by God's heart for the nations.

Guess what I'm teaching!?! MISSIONS! We have 12 students who are playing major roles in the church or will in the near future and we get the opportunity to share with them how they could impact the world for Christ. Please pray that I would communicate God's heart clearly and accurately and that the students would be moved to action. The hope is that this class will birth passion for the Ukrainians to go out to the world and share the hope of our great and mighty God!

I will continue to post updates of the trip here. Thank you for your prayers- I need them so very much.

The Lord Has Provided!

2010-10-22T15:06:00.002-05:00

The Lord has answered our prayers and He has provided enough financial support for the trip to Ukraine. Everything is in order for my departure November 20. Thank you all so much for your support so far and for the prayers you will pray for me and the students Kyle (the missionary I will teach with) and I will teach. From here on out I will place all my updates here on this blog. I hope what I write here is beneficial to you.

Right now I am working through the curriculum for the class. Most of the content will be on the Biblical basis for missions. The plan is to give an overall perspective from the Old Testament and then concentrate in Luke and Acts for the New Testament. Along with Piper's idea that missions exists because worship doesn't, the central theme of the class will be that we do missions because we love life and hate death. The mission of God is the redemption of His creation. This mission begins in Genesis 3 with the Fall and ends in Revelation 21 with the new heavens and new earth. The fall brought death, both spiritual and physical. The mission ends with God giving life and giving it to the full, both spiritual and physical. This is the main message we will teach to our students. We do missions because we want life to prevail rather than death. Without the Gospel people will die in their sins. So since we love God we proclaim His story to all people. Please pray that our students would be impacted by God to have a heart for His mission.

I'm Going Back To Ukraine

2010-10-22T14:42:00.002-05:00

I'm going back to Ukraine
God is writing an epic story. I have a part to play in this story and I want to share it with you. Last summer I spent three months visiting several different mission agencies in Eastern Europe. I saw firsthand what missionaries and local ministers were doing, how they lived their life, the people they were serving, and the Eastern European culture. Although Europe is dying spiritually it will still play a vital and strategic role in the spread of God’s Kingdom as Christianity expands throughout the world.

Each of the ministries I visited last summer were all excellent organizations doing impressive work for the Lord. However, the ministry Send is doing in Ukraine really stood out to me because it aligns closest with the talents and gifts God has given me. I have been in contact with them and am now set to return to Ukraine in November-December.

I Will Teach A Missions Class In Chernivtsi
I will join Kyle Eipperle, an American working with Send in Ukraine, with his wife and family in teaching a course on missions in the Bible College in Chernivtsi the week after Thanksgiving. Ukraine is in a tactical location for reaching out to Europe, the former Soviet Union, and the Middle East. This course will help advance Send’s mission of developing the Ukrainian church to be a major sender of missionaries throughout this region of the world. It will also provide me excellent opportunity to teach.
If this trip goes well and both Send and myself are satisfied that God would have us partner together I will return from this trip and start making preparations to go full-time to Ukraine to teach in a Bible college and disciple individuals in the local churches after I graduate in December.
I am thrilled about this opportunity as I have been looking at serving Christ in Europe for a decade. God has been faithful in getting me to this point and has given me unbelievable grace and gifts along the way. I want to give back to His people.

Itinerary
I will leave Dallas November 20 and arrive in Kiev, Ukraine the 21st. I will spend that week with the Send team getting to know them better and searching out the Lord’s will as to whether God would have us partner together. And don’t worry I have been invited to an American Thanksgiving dinner with some of the missionaries! The week of November 29-December 3 I will be in Chernivtsi with Kyle teaching a week long mission class. Chernivtsi is in the Southwest of the country close to the border of Romania. The students will be both young men heading towards the ministry as well as pastors from around the region. I will return after the class and be back in Dallas December 6.

Support
I deeply covet your prayers! God’s work should never be done without requesting His presence and power. I need your prayers for the proper attitude and perspective going into this opportunity. I know I may be tempted by pride, discouragement, frustration, isolation, and a number of other possibilities both before I go and while I am there. The students also need your prayers. They face an environment hostile to the Gospel. These precious Ukrainians are our brothers and sisters in the Lord and they are doing great work for the Kingdom.

Thank You For Partnering With Me
Thank you so much for all the ways you have already supported me. I pray that God will continue to offer His grace to me and use me as a vessel to share His love to the world. I pray for all of you that God would be generous with repaying you for your kindness and assistance. I love you all and am honored to serve our Lord with you. May He come quickly!

Ukraine 2010

2010-03-16T21:43:00.002-05:00

As you can see I never concluded the blog from last summer. This is intentional. My story there is not over. Through a lot of prayer and thought I feel called to continue pursuing Eastern Europe. Of all I saw last summer the ministry that Send International is doing in Ukraine appears to be the closest to my gift set and the direction I think God would have me go. And so I am pleased to announce that I have been accepted to take a follow up trip to Ukraine next fall. This will be a make or break type of trip. I’m already all but sold on Eastern Europe and if the trip goes well from both my perspective and theirs I will begin the process of moving to Ukraine to work with Send. The rough timeline for all I can tell at this point is this:
1) Survive this semester
2) Go to Ukraine in the Fall
3) Graduate in December 2010 from DTS
4) Go to Candidate Orientation with Send in January 2011 (assuming the trip goes well)
5) Raise support, get out of debt, etc.
6) Move to Ukraine

I’m very excited about this opportunity. I have been moving towards this since high school and I am so thankful that God has me where He has me. I’m aware and open to Him redirecting me, but until that happens I’m headed to Ukraine.

Send has two main ministries in Ukraine, planting/developing local churches and assisting a dozen or so Bible colleges and seminaries throughout the country. It appears if all works out that I would be doing a mixture of both.

With that in mind the trip this fall will be designed to show whether or not I and Send- Ukraine are a good fit for each other. All the details have not been worked out yet, but here’s what we have so far:

Because I am in school I will only have two maybe two and a half weeks available to travel. I will go there spend time talking through their strategy, vision, objectives, expectations and so on and just all around get to know each other and our personalities better so that we can make a smart decision. I will also co-teach a class at one of their colleges. They do modular courses because many of the students are pastors who aren’t paid by their churches and have to work fulltime and so can only come to school a few weeks out of the year. So the class will likely be a week. They are still putting together their curriculum for the fall and so I don’t know which course it will be, but we talked about a trip this spring (which obviously didn’t work out) where their professor would teach Matthew Mark and John and then I would teach Luke and Acts. So, it will likely be something like that. I would teach in English and it would be translated into Russian or Ukrainian.

Beyond that I don’t have too much information at this point. Once they figure out their course schedules and we figure out which one I will assist with I will know the dates and will start putting all the details together.

Needless to say I’m pumped about going and am overjoyed to be able to serve these great people even if nothing long-term works out. I’m really glad you are a part of this and I really would appreciate your prayers about the future. I still feel like I’m swimming with school work but soon enough that will be done. I have trained hard to serve but as you all know the temptation for personal gain is always present so I would ask for your prayers with handling the rest of school and having the proper perspective towards serving them rather than myself.

I have been bought with a great price by my Savior and my life is His to do with as He pleases, whether I recognize that or not. I hope and pray that I am willing to do what pleases Him and that He will lead me to serve His people wherever and however He calls me to do that. My God has given me the light of truth and I cannot remain quiet. Thank you for joining with me on this journey, and understand that your support is affecting the world. Stay posted. I will give more details as soon as I get them. Jesus loves you & Ukraine!

Fusion Youth Camp Latvia

2009-07-29T04:40:00.017-05:00

At our concert

The second camp I was a part of was a music camp. We held it at the same location but with a church from Riga. Edgars is the youth pastor there and we were trying to help him get a ministry started. I think we far exceeded our goals.

In Czech Republic they have been doing Rock choirs for a decade. The idea is to get people who aren't Christian to come learn how to play guitar, drums, sound, sing, piano, etc. and join the choir. The students choose the songs they play, many of which are secular. They learn them, put high energy dances to them and perform concerts. The leadership tries through teaching them music to build relationships and tell them about Christ. Over those 10 years 10-15 choirs have been started in Czech. This was going to be the first one in Latvia.

So the camp was a normal camp with messages, meals, games, and special activities, but they held workshops where they taught different instruments, or talents and then had choir practices with everyone learning the songs. Fix you by Coldplay, The Kids aren't Alright by Offspring, a Blink 182 song, Abba, etc. At the end of the week we had a concert to perform so they worked really hard.

Because the kids were coming with an expectation of participation the rest of the camp went very lively. The students were engaged from the get go, from everything from the games, to small groups, to practice sessions, to the tick checks (see previous camp blog for explanation). The energy was high from the beginning and didn't let up.

At this camp my main responsibility was to share the Story of God. All JV teams this summer are doing this for their camps. The Bible is broken up into stories that eventually unfold into Christ's life and the Gospel is told that way. Essentially God creates everything good, mankind rebels, their are consequences, although the people are sinful God does not fully leave but allows sacrifices to be made until the ultimate sacrifice, Christ, comes to make all things right again, which was enacted at His resurrection, but will be fulfilled at His Second coming.

Anete is my translator. She was spectacular!

So, with all the energy my job was easy. I modified the material a little bit to focus less on the details and more on the overall themes of the story. I felt very comfortable with the material and I thoroughly enjoyed teaching. The small group leaders did most of the work with the kids and did an amazing job. The last camp was made up of more believers, whereas this one was mostly unbelievers.

The way the stories work was an excellent way to share the Gospel. For many they had an understanding of the stories in isolation, that Moses parted the sea, and Jesus died on a cross but hadn't connected all the stories in a unified whole. This time around I had many students come to me and ask about the stories. They had deep seminary level questions, which of course I relished. They experienced the story themselves. The pain and frustrations of the figures of the past were felt in the present. Why all the sacrifices, why do people keep leaving God, why did God allow Satan in the Garden in the first place?

I had several long conversations with students over these issues and others, including more personal issues, which I will obviously keep confidential. What was great was although they didn't buy the stories right away they understood the conflicts in the stories, and slowly recognized their own problems coming through the stories. They also noticed how nice everyone was to one another. Campers and leaders alike all genuinely enjoyed each other and taking care of each other. This was new for many of them.

As the stories drew to the climax the story shifted for them from being an external thing to be evaluated, to something that had impact on their lives. The problems in the story, death, temptation, pain, sickness, broken relationships, guilt, consequences for actions, threats from other countries, uncertainty, a God who can't be seen are all issues in the story, but also real issues in their lives.

After the last night the Czech team set up a labyrinth. It has different stations. One was cutting out an outline of your hand and writing the things you are thankful for. Another was writing your biggest problem on a rock and throwing it into the forest saying "God you have my problem." Another was a station with sand and you could stick your hands in it and then have a leader wipe it off and give you a hand massage. All the stations were meant to engage the students into the story and deal with issues of sin, forgiveness, for them and of others, and to make God personal.

The students took it seriously and spent their time. I and a few other leaders were upstairs at the last section. It took them about 40 45 minutes to make it to the last station. They had set up chairs around a wooden cross with candles set in the sign of a cross. The instructions said that if through the course of the week you had decided you wanted to move closer to God (not necessarily a full commitment to Him, although that would count as well), then you could light a candle and pray. We started with 2 candles lit (so everyone got the right idea). As the different groups came into the dark room with soft music playing and the candles facing them they internalized the stories. You could see them wrestling on their faces. Some with what they thought, some with the greatness of the sacrifice of God's Son for them. The prayers started slow and quiet. Then the tears started flowing. Entire small groups came and lit candles sat down prayed cried comforted one another and embraced. The Word of God had moved people's hearts, slowly but powerfully. The gentleness of the Spirit's push throughout the week was now a regal lion that could not be ignored and the students bowed before their Lord and their God. A week's worth of love had made an eternal difference. We had 4 orphans join us at the camp who I was really excited about. They all came away understanding and believing in Christ's love for them. Groups came and went and returned to the room several times. We had a campfire and food outside, but many wanted to speak with God instead. Even the guys were affected. Some who claimed atheism at the beginning were contemplating at the end. Others who told stories of getting plastered drunk and hooking up with girls on the bus to camp were praying to God that night. At the end the night there were 38 of 40 candles lit. All but a handful of students didn't lit a candle, but all were impacted.

Each candle lit is a soul that wants to be closer to God.

I wasn't emotionally blown away or on a spiritual high like some were. But, for me there was a silent satisfaction. At the end of a summer with evaluating Christianity in Europe, and hearing story after story of struggle and pain in trying to reach their neighbors, here God was breaking hearts of stone. With ease I might add. He was and is sovereign. He moves how He chooses and I was lucky enough to see it again. I came away encouraged, knowing my God reigns and He will save whoever and do whatever He pleases, and that Europe is not a lost hope. I was humbled that my simple scribbles of a message that was put together was used by the Almighty to conquer sin and death and bring life eternal. Many who were far have been brought close, and many more are on the way.

As for the music...it was ok. But, considering the songs were often played and sung by people who a week prior had never done or played what they did that night it went amazing. People played the drums and guitar for the first time. Orphans sang solos for the first time. I sang in a choir for the first time. But, most of all it was a TON Of FUN! Goodness we had a good time. We weren't blowing people away with our vocals, but I think we blew some people away with our energy and how much we enjoyed ourselves.

In September they will officially start the choir. They will start selecting songs, learning instruments, and bringing friends. Edgars' ministry which was around 4 before camp now could easily start with 20, maybe more if the kids are as excited a month from now as they are today. Even the older ones, like Andris 21 and Victoria 18 have hung out with us after camp and are stoked about Fusion. So, instead of just starting a camp and leaving it at that with nothing the rest of the year, the church now has momentum that it can continue for the rest of the year. Praise be to God who enjoys giving the willing love and enjoyment!

Edgars the leader grew incredibly through the week. He was reluctant to put himself out there and really goof around with the kids, but by the end of the week he was a crazy as everyone else. At the concert as he did announcements they chanted his name because they recognized someone who cared about them and that they trusted and respected. He had worked on that for a whole week and now he is set up for productive fruit in the near future, and potentially several Fusion choirs throughout Latvia.

This is a video of the last song we played. It's a Czech song that they taught us. This one is better quality because the Czechs played and they're all experienced. It has a ton of energy and I enjoyed it a lot. This should give you a good idea about what we did.

Ieva, one of our Latvian leaders

Roberts rockin

Fletch

The Bucket of Despair

Kristjans

Andris

Andy teaching Nicolavs the drums

Adam with the Hair of Despair

Choir Practice

Camp Dance

Victoria

Our fearless leader of the Czech Team Terry

Facebook | Videos of Melissa Pundt: Everytime We Touch -Cascada

2009-07-29T04:21:00.003-05:00

Facebook | Videos of Melissa Pundt: Everytime We Touch -Cascada

I think this one is my favorite. Make sure to watch it all the way through. Arnist is a genius. They hadn't done much preparation and all of this was filmed on the last day. Adam took it and ran with it and it came out perfect. I still laugh every time I watch it.

Facebook | Videos of Melissa Pundt: Old Time Rock & Roll -Bob Seger

2009-07-29T04:21:00.002-05:00

Facebook | Videos of Melissa Pundt: Old Time Rock & Roll -Bob Seger

One of the girls groups did Bob Seger's Old Time Rock & Roll. They did a great job. Costumes worked really well.

Facebook | Videos of Melissa Pundt: I Want It That Way -Backstreet Boys

2009-07-29T04:20:00.002-05:00

Facebook | Videos of Melissa Pundt: I Want It That Way -Backstreet Boys

The guys group did the BackStreet Boys song I want it that way-and the girls totally reject them...sad. I have a quick cameo. Good video guys!

Kuldiga Youth Camp Latvia

2009-07-29T03:04:00.013-05:00

Kuldiga Camp 2009

After an 8 year break I am back in Latvia doing youth camps. There's something raw and exciting about camps. It's not the smell or the food, but the simplicity of just hanging out with teenagers, gaining their trust and opening up the heavens to them in an atmosphere away from their usual distractions.

JV held 3 camps this summer. The first was in cooperation with a church from a smaller town in Latvia called Tukums. I arrived in Latvia while this camp was underway so I was only there for a minimal period of time. The next two camps were held at a YWAM retreat center complete with soccer fields volleyball court ropes course. The first of these two was with a church from Kuldiga and the second was an attempt to start a new ministry in Riga through the seminary church.

The Kuldiga camp was a complete success. We had about 10 or 15 kids signed up the week before and ended with 29. A team from Ft. Collins Colorado came to assist with the English camp. Chris and Marcy Conradson and Scott and Marianne Cravens were the adults, complimented nicely by the very lovely Melissa, Kady, Katie, and Kennedi. They were great. We had no complaints about any of them. They were all willing to engage with the students, help out in whatever way needed, brought a ton of energy, and even stayed up till morning editing videos. Instead of doing a normal English class they taught English through different activities, Baseball, Fashion, Film making/editing. They did a great job. Here's Katie, Mel and Kennedi, and then Kady

I had 7 or 8 boys in my room. Great guys! They were very receptive to what we taught them and came away encouraged from the week. Most if not all were already believers before camp but through some conversations we were able to get some of them serious about Christ and His will for their lives. Here's the group

I was very pleased to see them act like our Lord. No one at the camp was left on the outside, unless they put themselves there. Everyone was included and even some who were extremely shy at the beginning of camp were included as part of the group by the end. Arnist was one example. He played the major role in the second video below even though we couldn't get him to talk at the beginning of camp.

The music videos are on the next few posts. Arnist shows up in the Every Time We Touch one. They're pure gold. Thanks Mel and Adam for all the work.

The JV team, Joe, Fletch, Adam, Oskars, Arturs, Anna, Anete, Elina all worked so hard and made camp relatively laid back.

The main purpose of the camps this year was to jump start and assist youth ministries in churches. We tried to work with the youth leaders to build and develop their understanding of practical youth ministry, while encouraging them and getting their kids excited. Gatis is the leader of the youth group in Kuldiga and we found a gem in Toms. He's 18 and has been getting serious about the Lord. He took major leaps and bounds in leadership this last week. His energy and excitement were off the charts. He always participated, got others involved, included everyone, helped lead the small group for the first time, and served throughout the camp. He was the one on the ropes course who would take the fall for the team and redo a task if someone else failed. He demonstrated great Christ-like qualities and we're stoked about his potential to serve Christ. Oh and he was made to be a rockstar

Camp highlights: Learning baseball, watching the Sandlot, followed by eating s'mores, and everyone quoting "you're killing me smalls!", but Toms consistently misquoted, "Smalls, you are killing me!", duck duck goose, but with a cup of water, called drip drip drop which turned into an all-out water fight including being thrown into the pool, followed by the giant slip and slide, camp dance, teasing 12 year old Klaus, trying to teach them American football, ropes course, tick checks (we had a clothespin called "the tick" and if you had the tick when Adam turned on the siren you had to pick from "the Bucket of Despair" that had different embarassing things like wearing a dress or singing a song, Gladiator games (probably the Best camp game ever: Take an egg and put it in pantyhose and put it over the camper's head, give them a pool noodle and release them to try and crack everyone else's egg: here's an action shot),

excellent teaching by Chris about the Story of God (JV took materials from a ministry in the Pacific Northwest that take the Bible split it into several major stories and tells the Gospel that way), unbelievably awesome music videos, Latvian Idol performance highlighted by a Phantom of the Opera song and a special Beyonce "Single Ladies" dance performed by the judges, God's presence, lasting friendships, encouraged workers, and changed lives.

Slip and slide

I got ticked-The Dress of Despair

Let's all knock Nigel over on the slip and slide

Marta

Klaus

Chris giving Fletch a kiss

Joe with the hair of despair

Latvia

2009-07-11T00:53:00.006-05:00

I'm back in Latvia!

It's been 8 years since I've been back. I flew into Riga late at night on the 1st of July. It was past midnight and there was still a haze along the horizon from the sun. Driving towards the city I suddenly felt a warmth like I had come home. So many great things happened to me in Latvia during those two summers that molded my life into what it is now. It felt great to be back.

I recognized the airport, the station where I almost got deported, where the baggage claim is. Then driving down the street to the town I saw familiar buildings and landmarks. But, then I noticed some things that were different. There were now enormous malls, and supermarkets, home improvement stores, and car dealerships everywhere. They were no where to be seen 8 years ago.

Turns out Latvia has changed a lot. 8 years ago the kids were wearing what poor Americans wore in the 80s, the buildings were damaged and needing renovation, the streets needed paving, and the cars that were there were on their last legs. Now, their fashion is caught up with everyone else's, there are BMWs and Mercedes all over the place, all the buildings look like they've been fixed, the roads are working, and the store fronts now don fashionable clothing, or expensive jewelry. I'm still in shock how much everything has changed.

This isn't the full story though. In 2001 Latvia was three years away from entrance into the EU. They were working really hard to get out of communism into the capitalist system. They were also in a prime location and situation and so money started flooding into the country from foreign investors, especially from Scandanavia. They worked a lot on retail development, but unfortunately didn't do enough work with manufacturing and other production industries. So, money and Western culture crashed throughout the country and they were living the American or Western dream. But, even though the appearance was changing there still hadn't developed a strong core to the economy. So, when the crises hit the economy was shown for what it is, a hollow shell. Unemployment is up to 17%, teachers salaries were just cut in half equivalent to about 350$ a month. The government a few months ago needed an overhaul and some officials straight up resigned. Lativia is one of the hardest hit countries from the crises. So although there are now fancy restaurants and malls and BMWs it's really hurting right now.

In the midst of this God is working in the lives of some of the Latvians. Scott Runzo and his team which is now lead by Kelly and Donna Harden have developed some young people that are beginning to take leadership roles in the churches and produce some significant fruit. I've met with several friends who were at the camps we did way back. It's been encouraging to see them again and see how they are doing. Most are still following the Lord, some are not. All still have the same personalities and make me laugh the way they did 8 years ago. They're a hard working group. Many have or will get a bachelor's degree. Others have gone on and completed their Masters already. One wants to get her counseling degree from Denver Seminary, which is a wonderful program, another is going to work with an orphanage in India for a year. They're doing well and God is faithful.

This week has been mostly hanging out in Riga and reuniting with friends. Tomorrow the first camp that I'll be doing will start. I'll be helping out with two camps. This first one is in a town called Kuldiga. We have a team from Colorado working with us and we are looking forward to it. The second camp will be a music camp setting up a Gospel choir in Riga. There is a team from the Czech Republic who have had huge success with this in other places and their hoping it will have the same effect here as well. I'll be speaking at that camp and I'm looking forward to it. Until next time here's some pictures of Riga.

Testimonies

2009-07-04T14:01:00.006-05:00

While in Kremenchuk I got the opportunity to speak with these two students. They are students at the Bible college here. It was a pleasure to hear what they had to say about Ukraine and the church and their lives.

They said that there are many issues that face the church in Ukraine. They said most people aren't interested in church for many reasons. They are consumed with trying to make money or by alcohol. Some of the woman they said were more involved and interested in the Spanish and Italian Soap Operas than they were in their own lives.

They also shared their testimonies. The one on the left said that he was into all sorts of alcohol problems and one day was walking past a church. He heard singing inside and thought it was so beautiful. He felt so uncomfortable because he thought all the churchgoers looked so put together and he felt filthy. And he saw the pastor who was dressed nicely and he said he wished so hard that he could shake the pastors hand. He listened to the service and saw these people and they seemed happy and clean and that they loved each other and he met God. After the service the pastor came to him and shook his hand. He is the most humble joyful delightful man now. He said that his wife and kids then became believers a little afterward. Unfortunately, none of his family on his side have been saved, but everyone on his wife's side has, all coming from his encountering God. He said he hated his sister-in-law, and she hated him right back. But, afterwards he changed and they have been reconciled. She's a believer as well.

The guy on the right said he lived a rough life himself. He and his brother got into some trouble and ended up in prison for a few years. They aren't taken care of properly in prison there and so his brother got really sick. He knew enough that he began praying for his brother to be healed. Over the next few days he read through the Bible cover to cover. Then he went to a church service to show them he knew more than they did about the Bible. Through talking to them he realized he didn't know as much as he thought he did and was humbled. They then shared with him the Gospel and he accepted. His brother was also healed from the sickness soon after he started praying. They are both following the Lord. He now is going to school at the Bible college and is witnessing to youth through a soccer league.

It was really refreshing to talk to these guys and to hear their stories. God is truly gracious. I was reminded that I am just as needful of him as anybody else. These two were alcoholic and a convict but were transformed and are now so full of life and love. God is kind and merciful and he is willing to save everyone, even the most sick if they will come to Him. After all "It is not those who are healthy that need a physician, but those that are sick." It was good to be reminded that I am sick too, but God still cares about me.

McDonald's is coming! McDonald's is coming!

2009-07-04T10:30:00.004-05:00

So...McDonald's rules the world.

They're everywhere over here. At every subway/train/bus/bike/tricycle station there's one. I love cross cultural experiences because you learn so much new stuff. Here's what I've learned:

1) McDonald's is at a much higher quality in Ukraine than it is in the States. Like huge difference! It's what I remember it being as a kid...edible...and actually quite tasty.
2) Special orders are not common. You can order, you can even order in English and everything still goes quite smoothly, but if you throw in a special order the whole well-oiled machine grinds to a halt. They look at you like you're not just from America but from Mars. And then a great debate ensues between the counter lady and the cook, and then with the assistant manager, and another counter lady, and then the cook again, and then the manager gets involved, and then they even call Ronald out from the back room and he straightens it out, but you still end up with 2 buns, 2 slices of cheese, and ketchup when you ask for a double cheeseburger with just cheese and ketchup.

Oh well, at least it's edible.

Ukraine 1932-1933

2009-06-27T02:55:00.006-05:00

This is a monument in Kiev. That's a flame on the top. Those are little crosses on each side. The black areas are also four crosses on each side. When close up they appear to be bars. We're not sure but we think the birds are phoenixes. Down the stairs is a museum, but unfortunately the day we were there it was closed. This monument commemorates 1932 and 1933 in Ukraine.

Nearby are these milstones, two on each other and twelve in a circle. In the middle of the circle is this statue.

1932 and 1933 were dark years in Ukraine. During this time an awful famine scavenged the nation. There were many casualties. This is their story...

Ukraine is a fertile land filled with black soil, plains as far as one can see, and rivers running into the Black Sea. It has been known as the Breadbasket of Europe for its' agricultural output. It is comparable to the rich farming lands of the Midwest. So, for a famine to strike this portion of the world is peculiar.

The Ukrainians had been assimilated into the Soviet Union after a rief stint at independence after WWI. Lenin was in power till his death in 1924. Ukraine at the beginning of the decade experienced some economic troubles and so the Soviet Union was slow in pushing Ukraine's recovery.

Stalin succeeded Lenin and slowly gained more considerable power. He advanced further socialist ideals and attempted to further solidify his grip over the Soviet Union in his iron fist. He found Ukraine to be stubborn. They have their own language and customs and even tasted freedom for a short period. Most of the peop were farmers growing their own crops.

As communist ideals go the individual is subservient to the State, and all get the same amount. Thus, for a farmer to produce and possess a large portion of land, products, food, or goods was undermining the communist system. Many of Ukraine's farmers fit the bill.

Stalin was reaching his most power yet and developed a 5 year plan for modernizing the USSR and mobilizing it for war. Such a plan required funds to bolster industry. They found the answers to many problems in one solution.

Stalin, still finding the Ukrainians stubborn and unwilling to give up their individualistic farming style, enforced a locking of Ukraine's borders and jumped the production quota 44%. By rule no farmer could keep his crops until his quota had been reached. With such a steep increase the farmers were unable to produce the crops necessary to meet the quota.

Farmers watched as the military seized their food and shipped it throughout the rest of the empire, as well as being sold to foreign nations to bolster manufacturing, all the wile their stomachs remained empty. any resistance of any kind was met with force. Any hiding or hoarding of food was an act of treason and punishable with imprisonment up to and including death.

The nation starved. One will notice in Ukraine that there are very few wild animals around. The typical roadkill, birds chirping to one another, squirrels scampering about are a rare sight. During those years the people went to the woods and killed anything they could find; deer, rodents, birds. Some went mad and resorted to cannibalism, even of their own children in some cases. Collective farming was thrust upon the people. Children's limbs shrunk while their bellies bulged and swelled as happens in starvation Parents rotted away and held their famished children as they faded ever so slowly away.

Stalin's tactic broke the Ukrainians, and after teh two years the famne was ended leaving the country crippled. All in all the figures are unclear. Some estimate only thousands (usually ignorant communist supporters), some 2 million, some 5 some 7 or 8, some 10 million deaths. It is impossible to know given the control of information the Soviets had. But, it seems most likely that the number was around 5 million. A whole country without food for two years. Everyone knows about the Holocaust, what about the famine, the Holodomor as they call it in Ukraine, a decade before? Why does no one know about it?

Putin, Russia's leader, still denies the genocide that occurred.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=akRdu1cuBPKg
The Russian government denies its' occurrence as it had done from the beginning. Many staged visits to the country during this time kept people thinking there was no famine, and information was not allowed out of the country unless with a bow and ribbon on it. So, most Russians don't know anything about it, and it hasn't been till recently that the West has heard of it.

But the Ukrainians know why no wildlife runs wild in their counry. They know what the Soviets did. They know the anguish and torture that they went through eve if they did survive. they know what it is like to be oppressed and crushed by another. they know injustice. and they are beginning to cry out. Atrocities have been done here..and there's someone else who knows, and He won't remain quiet forever...

Until then information is useful, as well as understanding. So much whether spoken or unspoken about Ukraine is tied up into this event. A generation knew not to challange their masters and that was taught to the next generation. Lack of trust, pessimism, ncredibly low self esteem- just ask a Ukrainian about what is good about their country. More often than not when I have asked them I have received a blank look like they've never thought about what's good about Ukraine, only what's lacking.

I began this whole blog saying that Jesus cares about the hurting and opressed and that is why I'm interested in Eastern Europe. There is more here than I realized and there are plenty of hurting ople and oppression behind the material affluence. The psyche of Ukraine s still recovering, and they're not the only ones. We'll see what God does, but we know He has heard the cries of girls like her...

Ukraine and Send International

2009-06-26T11:33:00.007-05:00

I have been in Ukraine for the past two weeks with Send International. The first two portions of my trip were seeing church planting ministries. Send at least in Ukraine is more focused on training and discipling alongside existing churches, as well as through national Bible colleges and seminaries. I have spent most my time in Kiev, but have also visited Lutsk in the West and Kremenchuk in the middle of the country.

Ukraine is about the size of Texas or France. The population is around 40 million and Kiev is the capital and largest city with about 2 and a half million people. It is mostly plains with patches of forest, but there are some hills/mountains in the far West and the South is on the Black Sea and has a Mediterranean climate. The soil is extremely fertile and thus the country has been called the breadbasket of Europe.

The country is mostly Orthodox, although nominally so-except holidays when everyone is Orthodox. The Protestant Reformation did not enter into Ukraine until the 1800s so the Protestants only make up about 2% of the population including the Pentecostals. The Baptists are the largest Protestant group and the denomination that Send works with.

Ukraine is a territory that has been controlled mostly by other nations, and different areas of the country by different nations. However, around 1000 AD Kiev was the major city of the Rus people who populated a large territory containing modern day Ukraine Belarus and Russia. Later on the Western portion of Ukraine was a part of Poland for a while and has a strong Polish influence. The Russians and Soviets obviously were in control of the country for an extended period. The Mongols made a run through the country in the 1200s and the South around the Black Sea has been influenced by other nations around the Black Sea. But Ukraine had a short independence after WWI that lasted a few years before the Soviets, and in 1991 gained their independence, a source of great pride for these people.

Ukraine has been quite receptive to the Gospel relative to some of the other former Soviet nations. Many believe that reaching Ukraine is vital to reaching Russia and the former Soviet Union. Missionaries in Russia now can only stay in the country for three months straight after which they must leave the country for three months, making a steady life and ministry impossible. But, Ukrainians have no such problem. They speak the language and know the culture of Russia, Belarus, the Baltic States, all the 'stans like Uzbekistan and Kazakstan. The major push that Send is making is training preparing and mobilizing the Ukrainians to go be missionaries throughout the region.

There have been several churches and Bible colleges that have been established here. Honestly this has been the most encouraging portion of my trip so far. I went one Sunday to three churches all meeting in the same building, which actually houses on the second and thrid floors the Bible college in Kremenchuk. There were about 300 people at the first service and 100 or so at the next two. The music and fellowship was lively -a nice change from the dreary subways-

Above is Kiev Theological Seminary. Kiev Theological Seminary and Kremenchuk Bible college were the two schools that I saw. Both appear to be solid institutions and even better at training their students. They teach modular classes that last a week, so the students, many of whom are pastors in surrounding areas, will come take classes for the week and then return to their ministry. Kiev has recently begun a Masters level curriculum in conjunction with Talbot Theological Seminary in LA. There is a possibility that we have started to work through, mind you it is still a very long way off, of me coming and doing a test run course for a week. If this develops more, which won't be for a while, I will inform you all. This is a picture of the outside of Kremenchuk Bible College.

Send in Ukraine is a big organization with almost 100 people, many of whom I met, all of which I enjoyed. Their main work to this point has been working on the theological education side, with the 7 or 8 schools. However, they are in the process of shifting their work to more church based training, not just of the clergy but of the lay people, which I find exciting and extremely intelligent. The foundations are being placed for a strong and healthy church here in Ukraine, which is very encouraging, and maybe will transfer to the rest of the Soviet Union.

I also was given the opportunity to preach at one of the churches. There services run a little longer, and I was the second to preach. They had the Gideons who also pass out Bibles here in Ukraine. They gave a description of their ministry sprinkled with an accordion playing soloist who sang about Jesus. It was quite enjoyable. They also had a half dozen or so youth that were involved in the band and they were very good. In my half hour message, complete with wonderful translation, I told them that they as Christ's Bride were precious and beautiful. And that's about all I said, but it seemed to have a good response, at least the compliments were very nice -although they very well could have just been being nice to the foreigner.

Oh, one more thing. I thought that Czech felt very Soviet, but it still was very much within Europe. When I got to Ukraine it really felt different. It felt almost entirely Soviet or Russian based, and very little European. Part of this was because of the war. Most of the big towns were bombed out during the war and Ukraine was with Belarus the main alleyway between Germany and Russia during WWII. Now with that said they seem to really want to be Western and are trying very hard to do so, but unlike Czech who knows what it is to be Western, Ukraine doesn't quite know what it's doing. Somethings seem to have a hint of the West, others are completely Western, but others are entirely Soviet. Many of the shirts have English writing on them, learning English tools are everywhere, there are McDonalds everywhere (although it is quite an ordeal to get a special order- I don't think they've gotten the concept yet). But, then with other things like the markets lined with cheap clothes and produce, the old women with head coverings, begging on the street or in the subways, or selling berries or flowers on the side of the road feels very different.

Avant in Prague

2009-06-21T14:49:00.003-05:00

It's been two weeks since I left Czech Republic but really wanted to share what happened on this portion of the trip. I was with Avant who just sent a team to Prague to plant a church about 6 months ago. They were great and I wanted to tell you about them and their ministry. The banner at the top is from their website, www.avantministries.org

And before I go any further I would also recommend Crossworld, who I was with in Italy, as well. Their website is www.crossworld.org/home.html

Avant's strategy is to take a team of people who have complementing gift sets, move into an area where there is little to no evangelicals, plant a church, pass the leadership and workings of the church over to the nationals, and be out of the area in 5 years while the nationals take control and run the show from there.

It's a neat concept that has a lot of advantages to it that make it a good ministry model.

The team is Jon and Jill Luesink and their 4 kids, Kevin and Maria with their 2 kids, Shannon and Elizabeth, Kelly, and Debbie, and Jessica is an intern with them for the summer. I spent the most time with Jon and Jill and Shannon and Elizabeth, although I had meaningful conversations with everyone and learned something from the entire group.

I was excited to see this group because they were right in the beginning of starting to work, so I got a real honest view of what life was like for these folks; language school, taking an hour and a half to drop the kiddos off at school using the tram, trying to figure out which products are right at the grocery store...oh! and trying to start a church. Everyone was gracious to me and made me feel part of the group. They let me sit in on their planning meetings, some of their interactions with the nationals, and a host of other helpful experiences.

For this post though I'll pass on their vision and what they are trying to do because I think it's a cool mission, and worth considering for those interested in missions.

So, here are the advantages of the Avant strategy:
Their goals seem to be on track. They recognize that they are not the ones who know everything and are the Americans (4 in this group were actually Canadian...eh) coming guns blazing and going to fix everything. They recognize their place and the importance of getting the nationals to take whatever is started and become independent of foreign leadership. If the nationals can take what they have they can much better produce Christ's Church within THEIR context for THEIR people than foreigners can. They recognize that they don't know the culture and that they don't know how church should be done in Czech (or anywhere else they go), which I find a refreshing stance compared to what we've often done historically, coming in thinking we know everything and can take a cookie cutter copy of what worked in America and transplant it in another location, which is really degrading to the local people.

The team concept has many positive aspects to it. It automatically has built in a humble factor where each member is accountable to and depending on the others, which then makes it easier to release control of the ministries to the nationals later on, which missionaries are notoriously bad at doing. The team gives a sense of fellowship for the members as they enter the new context and aren't left alone on an island. The team can reach different ranges of people rather than an individual. The gift sets are important because they allow fuller ministry, rather than just an isolated cross section. The different gift sets are good for logistical purposes as well. Someone who is good at getting people interested in what the team is doing but isn't good at training will be more useful at the beginning but not so much at the end, whereas someone with the opposite gift will be useful at the end but not at the beginning. But, the overall work of the team is still flowing throughout the work.

The sense of urgency is important. It allows for the team to have goals that they can try and achieve and so they have motivation to do work effeciently. It's also Biblical to take an urgent view of evangelism. It also sends a great message to the nationals that the team trusts that the Spirit can guide and lead them to do what He wants without the foreigners, which empowers and spurs them on to take on the challange.

They are very experimental and willing to take risks to find out what best works for the Czech people where they are. The team is trying out several different avenues for meeting people and forming significant relationships with people. Some have been failures, but they are following a good principle, which I will steal and use myself, that it's best to learn how to fail quickly and cheaply. It's ok to fail as long as it leads you to success. Everyone is going to fail but the quicker and the cheaper the better. I think that's right on. So, although they tried playing volleyball with senior citizens, and found themselves a little overmatched by the Grandpas (sorry guys I had to), it was a quick and cheap experiment and now they can try other things.

They're focus is on the people and their need for a relationship with their Creator. The Czech people are lost. I asked a few locals what Czech people looked forward to, and I received blank looks like the question didn't make sense, like what does purple smell like? They don't look forward to anything because their history is that anytime they get their head up above the water or out from someone else's foot on their neck, someone else comes and stomps their foot on their neck. So why hope? Because there is a God and He has worked in history to rovide a way out of this mess. It's truth. They are committed to this message and that's most important.

There are lots of other positives that I could list but if you want more you can go talk to the agency themselves, I'm sure they'll be pleased to speak with you. Thanks Team Prague for your hospitality and letting me learn next to you and being vulnerable enough to let me see how you work. I am in your debt, and so for now you have my prayers for your success and blessing!

The group provides several positive

The Stankova's

2009-06-17T00:36:00.011-05:00

A year or two ago two girls showed up at Watermark's weekly ultimate frisbee. I was introduced and quickly found out they were from Czech which peeked my interest because of Eastern Europe. They were the sisters Keri and Marketa Stankova. Keri had made some connections to Watermark through the hostel she worked at in her hometown Prague and was going to be in Dallas for 6 months. Marketa was joining her for the first month or two. I got to know them over that time and asked about Czech and showed them around DTS. Great girls.

It turns out that they also met the Avant team that I was with when they were doing their initial investigative searches in Prague. So, they have been working together with the Avant team in Czech and helping them get going with ideas and resources.

These lovely ladies were very helpful. They showed myself and Jessica, an intern for the Avant team who just arrived, around Prague. Amazing city! Have I said that already? They showed us the ins and outs, where to get the right food...all that stuff.

One Sunday they were nice enough to invite me to have lunch at their home with their family. I was honored. The family is these two girls, their brother and two parents. They live in a 1 bath 1 family room (which acts as the parents bedroom), 1 kitchen, 1 bedroom (partitioned off into three rooms the size of dorm rooms), and have lived there all the kids' lives. They live a little ways outside of town. Prague has expanded quite a bit and thirty years ago where they live was the outskirts of town, but is now in the middle of the suburbs. A new apartment building, Soviet style, so a box about 12 stories high, was being constructed and the government assigned Mr. Stankova as the first occupant.

Their mother, who let me call her Mom, made a lunch of salad beef roast and potato dumplings in gravy. Hmm so good. They were very generous and cheerful and I had talked to the sisters a lot by this point so I asked if I could ask her parents about communist times, and since they were believers what that was like for them. I wasn't too shocked that they obliged, but was surprised at how excited they were about some guy asking them questions.

So we sat down in the living room and the kids took turns translating. I asked them about how they met what they did, what it was like under communism, all sorts of questions. This was one of the most informative parts of my trip so far.

Mom's father was a believer and kindof an underground pastor, and Dad converted around 18 so both had extensive time under communism as believers. Czech was one of the hardest hit religiously of the former Soviet Union. For some reason they were able to almost wipeout organized religion from the country. The church had to go underground for the most part. Christian literature was banned. You had to be careful who you talked to about what or you would be persecuted in several ways. You might lose your job. You might lose social benefits. You or your children might not be allowed to attend university. They might call you in for questioning or harrass your family. The Stankova's listed off a number of persecutions and told stories of attempts to escape into Germany. They apparently put boundaries around the country lines, so even with the Soviet Union you still could not travel freely from say Czechoslavakia to Poland. It was a horrible mess. I did ask if there was anything that the Soviets did positively and they said there was. They said that the basics were often taken care of for everybody and living was cheap, but this also had a negative side. When it all came down many people wound up handicap because they had never been taught how to fend for themselves. They also said that there was a problem because anything was owned by everybody and no body. So it wasn't uncommon for people to take things and make them their own. For example, construction workers would sometimes mysteriously (not really) end up with their own house next to the apartment building they built. They used their supplies (the people's supplies, which they are apart of, so their supplies) and just built their own house. Wild stories. Fun times.

They also told how they had to be careful with anything Christian affiliated. They would have to sneak around the system to make copies and distribute Christian literature. Mom told a story about how she had to sneak into some area of the building she worked at to get to the copier to make copies of books she wasn't supposed to have. I thought that was awesome. And then they nonchalantly said they still had a few lying around. My eyes lit up and they could tell I wanted to see them.

They brought them out and showed them to me. They were raggedy and poorly made. They would use a typewriter to write out what the book said and then take it to a copier that could copy several pages at a time. The pages are really thin so that several copies can be made at the same time. Everything's typed and wearing out. But it was so beautiful. To see in my hands proof of people's faith in Christ and their devotion to Him even while facing persecution was powerful. How simple the craft of making the book and yet how glorious a job with so much riding on its' construction. The Church can't be silenced and I was holding proof of God's power amongst His enemies in this world. And the beauty that His people can show even when under duress. I was inspired. Here's what the books look like.

And then this is the best part. They said they had some extra copies so I could have one if I wanted. Did I? Of course I wanted one! Man what a gift! I was stoked. They flipped the offer out so loosely I was shocked. They thought nothing of the books, but to me this was history and spiritual all tied into one. So they gave me the one you see and I'm bringin it home. I don't know what it says but I know it's about revival in Indonesia. They said afterwards that this book was a huge help to the believers at the time, because if the Lord could work in such a tough place so far away with so many difficulties, He could also work in their situation. So, I now have in my possession this priceless proof of God's provision for the remnant in Czech.

Speaking of the remnant, I also was given a lot of insight into the Czech situation from the whole family. The Soviets essentially knocked out religion from the culture of Czech. The country is mostly athiestic now. Less than 1 % of the population is evangelical. Even the Catholics, who were dominant for centuries through forced servitude, are in the significant minority. The Czech people had for a few generations atheistic devotion to the state driven down their throat, while all other religious were systematic suppressed. Now it is only a remnant who remain.

In asking them about this Dad responded with something very saddening. He said that they often feel like they are where the Israelites were in the wilderness, where there was an entire generation that needed to pass on before they could move ahead.

It was tough to hear, but I see the way he feels. There is a sharp, and I mean SHARP cutoff around 40 45 years old in all these Soviet countries. This is more so amongst the women, but it kinda applies to the men too. The ones who are younger than that who were about 20 or younger when communism fell have a completely different feel to the older ones. The younger ones dress up, they try to look nice, dress nice, walk attractively, etc. The older ones do, but it seems like they don't know how to, and they seem content to fall into the grandma role. They start looking a lot older. In North America women are still fighting into their late 50s and some into their 60s and 70s. Not many of these women are though. They look like Grandmas.

The mindset is different too. They have seen a full hard life. They are a hardened people, they don't smile much. They have seen a lot and they are very set in their ways, whether they are religious or not. They had to be to survive. But, there seems to be a wall to their hearts and they don't want to open it. Unfortunately, it looks like this generation needs to pass like Israel. We still hope for the Lord to work and show mercy to these people, and so we pray and plead and beg the Lord.

But, either way, and here's where Dad's statements were encouraging. He said that they had gone out to their summer home in the country and they just planted a pear tree in their yard. He said that he and his wife would not see the fruit and the benefit of the tree, but it brought him joy to give that gift to his children. And then he said, even if I knew Christ were coming tomorrow I would still plant a tree. I thought that was profound.

Even though there is a generation here that the devil may have hardened beyond hope we can still plant amongst them to be reaped with the younger generation. Although Dad loves his generation, his heart is hopeful for his children's generation. I am too. And even if we can't reach the older one, the younger one is different. They don't have the same issues to face and maybe the Lord will open the door to them. We can pray.

While we wait their are two sisters in Prague who have a dream of starting a youth center in their area of town. Most of the Czech people aren't wealthy and so it's mostly wealthy foreigners who live in downtown Prague and the Czechs live on the outskirts. -I think that's wrong by the way that the Czechs for the most part have to let foreigners enjoy their city-. They have picked out their dream location isolated among some houses but surrounded by 9, 12, 15 story apartment buildings and along the walkway from two schools. The Lord is stirring their hearts and maybe just maybe, the Lord will unleash His Spirit and His grace on the younger generation. And maybe, just maybe, such an outpouring would save their grandparents too. The clock ticks...

Paul in prison

2009-06-09T04:06:00.005-05:00

When we were in Rome we got the chance to see the traditional site of Paul's prison cell. The city still has the ruins of the center of ancient Rome. The Colosseum stands on one end of the forum. The remains of palaces and plazas and great marble buildings lie majestically over this vast complex. And as you come to the opposite side of the forum there is a small church. There is a whole in the ground with a grate. This is where it is thought Paul and Peter were imprisoned when they were in Rome. I'm sure there are some disputes as to whether this was truly the spot, but regardless, the cell they stayed in would have been similar to this one.

There has been built a stairway so that you can go down into the cell. It is cold damp and dark there. The cobblestone slants up to the walls and ceiling. The room is maybe 10 square yards. Originally they would take the prisoner throw them through the hole in the roof and leave them there. They would rarely feed them, so the prisoners would have to be fed by people outside the prison who were generous enough to take care of their needs.

When you are there you wonder what it would be like to be in prison in ancient Rome. It has a sobering effect on you. I felt a deep need to be quiet and contemplative. The walls don't quite close in around you but they definitely aren't inviting. It must have been fascinating being in that cell next to the forum. Two completely contrasted worlds. One the one had the height of power and prestige, with parades and governmental proceedings, commotion, debate, trumpets, the far off rumble of the games in the stadium, and later the coliseum, all that would go along with the center of ancient Rome. And right off to the side, a little hole in the ground isolated from everything, trapped and alone. Here is where Paul wrote some of his letters. And the fascinating thing is that what happened in the Forum and as important as it seemed at the time, it now lays in ruin, but what was of no importance and entirely insignificant in the jail cell now stands strong and alive. The kingdoms of this world may fall but the Word of the Lord stands forever.

It is from here that Paul wrote, and in fact he asked to go there. The story can be found at the end of Acts. Paul found himself in trouble with the Jews in Jerusalem. He was accused of something he didn't do and they brought him to prison. His response could have been to defend himself and as the story tells his charges would have easily been dropped because it was clear he had done nothing wrong. But, Paul had higher things in mind. Instead of defending his cause he set it aside for a higher cause. Against all regular reasoning Paul appealed to be heard by Caesar. He asked to be taken to Rome to be tried by Caesar.

Paul was thinking about the Gospel even as his life was being threatened. His thoughts weren't on his own survival but the advancement of the Gospel and of the fame of Jesus Christ. If he were in Jerusalem he could help the church, sure. But in Rome! Oh the possibilities of things he could do in Rome! From there the church could spread like wildfire throughout the world. And so he asked the unthinkable, he asked for jail in Rome, not specifically for the particular cell, but in effect he asked to go to that cell. When you are in the cell this idea becomes more profound, that someone would ask to go there. It is hard enough to consider yourself placed there and having to endure, it is another thing to ask to go there. And yet this was the faith of Paul.

I'm trying to learn from him through his prison letters this summer. In reading through Philippians this past time two things struck me. One was the joy. The incredible joy that man had in that awful situation. He was so enthusiastic and far from being disheartened the whole time, but instead was ecstatic that he could serve God in this way. He didn't mope or complain, but in fact infiltrated the guards guarding him and through him even some of Caesar's household were converted. The man in prison is winning people to his side. While the next victory celebration marched through the streets, a man was altering the course of Rome from his prison cell. And he ws joyful about it.

The second thing, and this one hit me much harder, was the view he had of Christ. EVERYTHING was about Him. In Paul's mind his life meant nothing. He didn't care, so long as Christ was pleased with it and used it. The singular focus of a life lived to pass on a message, that this life is a facade for the real significance and that God has infiltrated and given everything to get us out of the mess that we made. There is no secondary in Philippians. All there is is th primary: proclaim Christ! He took the "take up your cross and follow me" to a new level of commitment and I'm trying to learn from it.

So, in facing the context in which Paul wrote what he wrote I've had to ask myself some questions. How important do I really think God and His Gospel are? Is what I do for Christ and Christ alone or am I doing it for my own reasons too? Are these personally reasons my primary reasons although I dress them as secondary? Is it even worthwhile to have personal reasons as secondary reasons?

And here's the big one that they are all boiling down to, why don't you think more of God than you do? Why is full service to Him a foreign concept to you?

That is where I'm wrestling now. It's a good fight

Prague

2009-06-06T05:49:00.012-05:00

So I now have a new favorite European city. Prague. It's a city over a thousand years old placed in the heart of Europe. It's a little more than a million people. It was one of the few cities not bombed during the war so it is still in tact. The buildings are ornate and extremely beautiful. It's not inundated with tourists like London Paris or Rome so it feels like Europe. It has grand churches everywhere. Boasts two castles, one's really a fortress, and the other is just a complex with a lot of buildings and a cathedral on top. Basically it's the prettiest city I've seen. Love it. Enjoy the photos.

The Image of God

2009-06-04T14:40:00.005-05:00

Avant ministries does short cycle church plants where they go in with a team and try to start a church and have the nationals take control and run it as soon as possible and I am now in Prague with the team that just got started here in the winter. This portion has been a little slower than the highly structured portions in Italy and with JV conference. I'm just getting to see the average day for these people and am trying to get a realistic picture of what life would be like here.

Among other things I got a really neat opportunity to go with Jon, the team leader, to a bar to watch a jazz band play live music. Jon had made contact with the bass player -their kids go to the same school- Luska (I think that's his name) plays random pick up shows with people and was joining a guy named Jonathan Crossley this particular night. Jon and I went and had a spectacular night.

The band this night -the main guy will pick an grab random musicians in different areas based on need- were mostly from South Africa. They were nice enough to come chat with us several times through the night so we got to know them quite well. They were fun guys and really willing to talk and share about their music. I'm not particularly gifted musician nor am I really informed about its'intricacies. They explained what they were doing and I was crazy impressed.

There were five guys a drummer, bassist, guitarist, and two tenor saxophonists. The style was part jazz, part soul, part blues, part funk, part hip-hop, part rock. Essentially it was a fast jazz style if we were to over-simplify it. Their songs would go for about 15 minutes. Talking with them they explained how they had a general structure for the songs but a large portion of the songs were improvisational. They would have a key or melody that they would be in but within that they could play whatever they wanted to play. At times they would all be reacting to what the saxophonist was doing, at others to what the guitarist was playing.

They were incredible. They would come in and out up and down. The flow that they all had and the feel for each other's style and movement was so impressive the way they fed off of each other and the mood the others were creating. All in all they were excellent individual musicians who were at the peak of their own profession, but, together they created a glorious dance with one another. The music was often quirky and sometimes choppy which in their case actually sounded right. The guitar would start a song with choppy off beat strums but then the drums would come in with the bass and mimic the movement and all of a sudden it felt right. And then the saxophones would swoop in adding another layer that made it fly. At other times they would build and build and build with the saxophonist going nuts squeeling up and down the key and would catapult the song to which the other guitarist would glide in grab the song and fling it in a totally new direction. Sometimes they would crescendo and it was so right, and other times they would escalate but when you thought the pinnacle was about occur they would back off and take a hard turn a completely different direction, and somehow it all worked.

I'm not typically drawn to that kind of music but I was so enamored with the artistry and the beautiful connection and unity that they had together that I couldn't help but love the flow they created.

I walked away for the first time in a long time being amazed at the image of God that all humans have and the capacity that they have for interaction with each other and through improvisation, conflict, unexpected twists and turns, they are able to create something that is glorious and blows the mind. When in unity and harmony man is able to do wonderful things with his hands and voice and I was reminded of that that night.

Unfortuneatly I often do two things wrong, I don't get out and enjoy what we can do enough, and I don't listen to the voice of God that's even evident in those who are rebellious against Him. Here I was in a bar which I would usually place in the category of evil dangerous place, thanking God for showing me the majesty of His creation, and the joy that an escape like music can bring. The musicians were all but one non-believers and yet I had an amazing time conversing with them and enjoying their craft. The one believer was awesome to talk to and hear his out of the box thinking, but that is a story for another time. But, I walked away thinking about how uptight I am and how I need to go and experience more and get out of the bubble that is seminary more often. Man it felt good to close my eyes and just let myself dance with the music. And it also felt good to tell them with all honesty and truthfulness that they were amazing people with amazing talent and that they had shown me a piece of God's heart tonight.

That got me thinking. I understand and wholly affirm that mankind is sinful and dead and that needs to be understood if any relationship with the Lord is to occur, but I went away wondering how the world would be affected if we affirmed their majesty more often, the fact that they are image bearers of God and therefore carry a level of beauty and majesty in their ability to create, to ponder, to maneuver, to manage, and to dance in relationship with one another. If the we told people more often that God has made you so well and I see God when I see you, maybe they would come around to the truth.

So, in practice, to you who are reading. You have your origin in the heavens and eternity, where light flows freely, and the songs of the angels echo the great halls of heaven. God is your origin, your Creator, and He did so well in creating you. And although you, and I for that matter, still have limitations and problems and we all face sin and death, we also carry His image. We carry the ability to love and live and dance and sing and illustrate the mysteries of the universe and carry one another and live in harmony and protect the weak and turn wildernesses into oasises or gardens. You are beautiful and wonderful and God really wants you to know that. So be encouraged, for you are beautifully and wonderfully made by a loving God who if you let Him will bring you to His lap and shield you from this cold winter of this life, and into the breeze of the one to come.

Internship Training

2009-06-04T13:06:00.007-05:00

Now in the lovely mountains of Eastern Czech Republic I participated with the Josiah Venture Summer Interns Training Conference. Although not technically an intern with JV I will be with the Latvia team for the month of July so I pretty much count. They have their conference at the Hotel Malenovice which JV owns and has renovated wonderfully. I got the opportunity to ask a lot of questions and meet a lot of cool faithful people. And most importantly I got to spend time with Joe Fletch and Adam. Joe was with us the second trip I took to Latvia in high school in 2001 and has been living in Latvia for the past year and a half. Fletch was from the same youth group I went to and has been living in Latvia for the same amount of time as Joe. Adam is interning with them for the summer- had not known him previously, but he's great.

A lot culminated for me one of the first nights. After two weeks in Italy a day in Prague, and a four and a half hour train ride to East Czech I kinda got fed up with some things. For half the train ride I sat across from a Czech couple that spoke some English. I inquired about anything and everything Czech. Their language is impossible -I still have trouble saying thank you- They were amiable and graciously answered my questions. They pointed out at one point how every town has a church in the middle of it, which led to a few spiritual questions about their history. John Huss one of the major reformation figures was in Czech, but with the Habsburgs, the ruling monarchy from the 1500s-1900s people in Czech were forced to be Catholic. Hence, every town was centered around the Catholic Church. These two made it sound like this was a bad thing -with all the mixed messages I'm getting about the Catholics I'm not sure what to think when- After the fall of the Austria-Hungarian empire they were independent from 1918-1946 when the communists took over. As the Hapsburgs did with Catholocism, the communists forced athiesm on the people, and unlike other areas in Eastern Europe were almost entirely successful. A few generations have passed in Czech that are almost entirely athiestic. They went on to give thier own views about the negative possibilities with the misuses of religion. I agreed with them wholeheartedly, religion can be a terrible tool when manipulated improperly. I just hope they will realize before it's too late that when used properly it saves souls, heals the sick, takes care of the poor, looks after orphans and widows, and connects God and man.

They were great people, very nice, extremely intelligent, seemed to have a good heart that wanted well being for everybody. That's what makes it so hard for me. I've met a lot like them. There's a whole older generation that is lost and without hope. You can see the lack of joy on their faces on the buses and subways. It's tough to see a continent which was once so innundated with Christianity now so void. How could Christ's presence be so absent from this place? Talking with my brothers and sisters ministering here it is hard to hear how they struggle so to get the Gospel out to these people. They work so hard and have very little to show for it. Granted what they get is precious; every life is a gift from God and is to be praised. But, it's tough when the numbers are compared to how few people are seeing the light.

God can act if He wants to right? He does want to right? He does want to save souls? He can't be pleased with how His Bride is bleeding and battered here in Europe can He? But why isn't He rising to help her? To lift up His treasure here in Europe? How could he leave almost an entire generation of an entire continent behind? WHY AREN'T YOU WORKING?

I got fed up with the pain and the frustration of not understanding why these beautiful people weren't seeing the beauty of Christ. Dave Patty the president of JV gave the messages at the conferences which were about repentence and how important it is. He pointed out that sin can cause physical emotional and spiritual pain. I finally noticed what had been growing in me for many weeks, a great anguish in my soul over not understanding God and what He was doing. I was getting physically tired, had a head ache, felt literal pain. So, I took stock and realized that I was furious with God and I wasn't trusting Him. And so we got into a shouting match in my head. I yelled and pleaded and essentially broke down. Tears came and i brought it before the other guys.

Through talking with the guys and processing through it I've learned some things. I've learned that God is in control and He does as He pleases. As much as I would like to blame Him for not working mankind is responsible for their rejection of the truth, and it is a way for me to shift blame from myself. You see I had come here really wanting to try out and test my pet ideas about how to bring revival to the people here, and that I really knew how to fix things, essentially because I'm awesome and no one can help but love me (note the sarcasm, and yet the reality that I in my sinful flesh actually think this when not checked). God has been purifying me from thinking that I'm Him and I can do His job. I have gifts and ideas that He has given me and that He wants me to use and by which He will impact people, but on His time, in His way, apart from my wants and desires. God doesn't answer to me or my demands or my predictions. I was as much mad at Him because it was killing my dream of coming and being the hero as it was an anguish over the lost people.

I've had to wade through the issues that are mashed together; the right desire to see people saved, and the wrong desire to see them come through me so that I can think I'm a big deal. That God will work the way He wants, but He still hears my prayers and wants me to plead for these people.

All this had necessitated a change in my thoughts. I can't really consider whether I should come here based on the fruit that would come, but whether God is calling me specifically here. The fruit or lack thereof can come into factoring whether you stay or go once you've gone Matt. 10, but not before hand. I cannot know whether God will work if I go to a person or place to share the Gospel. But I can know whether He as commander is calling me there.

It also brings about the question, can I trust a God like this? Should I give up everything I have for a situation which may not make much difference (at least how it appears) for a God that could act but is not? It's tough, but it's good that I'm wrestling with it. God often purifies through conflict. See the life of Christ and the perfect purity that came through His suffering.

Ultimately it's not that God isn't good it's that I have trouble seeing it. I believe that. So, it's a matter of learning to trust what I cannot see. Everything's ultimately really simple in life. Do I trust God or not? I'm trying to, but we'll see if I can perservere with His strength or not. Here's hoping...

Italian Food

2009-05-28T00:23:00.009-05:00

There are only sounds of exuberant satisfaction after a meal that can describe Italian foods; no words can suffice.

The Italians take great care of their food. Until about 150 years ago Italy was really several smaller independent countries, all had their own culture dialect and food. They are all prideful of their heritage of their region.

The Italians value quality and the experience. So, they spend large amounts of time cooking and baking and so on. They often will bake their own bread or make their own pasta, or have their own olive trees in their properties. They put on just the right amount of olive oil and other ingredients. The meals take hours to make and even longer to eat. When the community gets together they spend a lot of time eating and talking. We had some days when we'd start eating at 1 and eat socialize and talk till 4, do something else, although the preparation for dinner starts about 6 and then eat from 7 to 11. Once you sit down at the table they have you until everyone's finished talking, which takes a lot here.

On both Sundays the churches had Agape meals (Agape being the Greek word for love) which lasted three hours. It was great to see a community of people, although small by American standards gather around tables and enjoy each other's company. I thought it was a great expression of fellowship and the Body of Christ enjoying each other. I wish America could learn some of that from the Italians.

Shout Out!

2009-05-27T17:16:00.003-05:00

So I'm sitting in the Milan airport waiting for the arrival of the rest of my group, when I notice the tvs on the wall. They are advertising the Jonas Brothers movie. And right then, right on all the tvs for everyone in the Milan airport to see pop up Jeremy Bodie and David! -for like 1.4 seconds-

BUT THEY WERE THERE! IN MILAN WITH ME!

Congrats guys you are officially international superstars such that I couldn't spend an hour in Italy without seeing your faces.

If this discussion makes no sense do yourself a favor and check out www.fakejonasbrothers.com

The youth leaders at our church through a string of events made a youtube video got called by disney flew out to New York and now are seen in Milan.

FAKE JONAS BROTHERS LIVE FOREVER!

Italy

2009-05-27T16:43:00.008-05:00

Phase 1 is complete

I have finished my two week stint in Italy, saw Milan and Rome, both the Mediterranean and Adriatic coasts and many towns in between. I've eaten like never before, tried to learn some Italian and understand what the Lord is doing in Italy.

I'm trying to do several things on the trip. 1) Figure out objectively what is happening in the cultures, thoughts and actions of the people, the physical and spiritual states of the people in the areas, etc. 2) Figure out how the Lord is working within those contexts through the strategies of the ministers here, or even around them in some cases. 3) Figure out how, where, in what manner I would be working if I came over here.

It's been great as far as ascetics go. It's been daunting as far as future planning goes. I'm staring at my future, and if it's like the people who are slaving for Christ here now it's a long thankless road.

The people aren't afraid of death, nor God. They have it pretty well put together and they think they have enough figured out to get by. And so unless something really tragic happens or if something really miraculous happens most Italians aren't coming to Christ. That doesn't mean that they don't ever come, they just come in 2s and 3s, not the thousands. We visited L'Aquila where the earthquake hit. Before 1950 there were no protestants in the city. Now with two churches the city of about 70,000 has 50 protestants. There are plenty of Catholics, but it's so hard to tell how many of those actually have a relationship with Christ. I hope it's more than it looks, but it doesn't look good from what I've seen.

So far I feel a pull to Europe but not really one to Italy. I feel as comfortable here as you can be in another culture. But, you really need to have a specific desire to be in Italy if you are going to work with the difficulties of ministering here. I don't think I have that but I definitely want to help here.

Church planting is a vital and necessary part of restoring Christianity here, but at the pace it's going it will not be enough to sustain it. Something else is needed, but I haven't found that yet, but I'm looking for it. I adore the workers with the churches but I don't see myself long term doing that here. There are multiple levels of work. Small, medium, large scale. Small being relational one on one or with a small group discipling people. Medium being leading churches or parachurch groups. And large scale being affecting the entire culture of a region or directing the vision of the churches. Right now I'm seeing myself more in a small or large capacity, rather than a medium one. Although I may need to get started on a medium scale to get to know the region and gain credibility and respect from the people here. The problem is both small and large require people coming, which comes through the medium ministries. So what I think I would do requires the help of the church planters on the medium scale.

I'm seeing myself now more so than before working on training leaders or national pastors, and, although I don't know how yet, working on the culture as a whole, both the European culture and the Church culture here. I may not end up in Europe but it hasn't been ruled out yet.

I came in thinking about all my strategies and plans and hopes for the future and ministry here. What's been apparent is that those are secondary issues. Strategies don't save people, God does. My strategies only work if the Lord moves along with them, which is His perrogative. He doesn't want me to come here because I know how to fix everything. If He wants me to come it is because He specifically wants me to minister to His people here whether anyone comes to faith or not. Jeremiah preached His life away and had no converts. The prophets spoke to deaf ears, but they were right where God wanted them.

I'm having to switch my focus to the Lord, rather than the Lord's work. It is Him I should be following and thinking about not what I can do for Him as of first importance. Secondarily strategies are important but without loving the Lord they are useless. I'm having to remember and focus on that. I serve the Lord who loves and cares for me and allowed His Son to take my punishment. I serve the God who conquered death and lives and rules. I am His servant and I do His will. If He wants me to go and be a witness of His greatness to a stubborn and obstinant arrogant people who will never come to know Him then I must go. The question is not whether He wants my service and life, it is where. I must answer the call, but the specifics are still to be found.

The Lord and I are having many discussions. One is how I should decide where to minister. Should I minister in the place where the most people will listen? Where the people will be of the best quality disciples? Where the Gospel has not gone yet? Where it has been and has been abandoned? Where the need is greatest? Where I'm best built to be? I'm debating.

The other is that the Lord can move these people if He wants. Being here and seeing how lost they really are it's hard to reconcile. God has left. Not totally obviously, there are some great stories of God's grace being found, but generally speaking these people are lost. How could God just leave an entire people group that was faithful to Him? I've asked Him that...

The only answer I have is that they left Him, not the other way around. It is humanity's M-O that when they get rich and fat they forget God. And such is the case with Europe. They as Israel and Rome before them, were blessed by God, became fat, forgot the Lord, dove into sinful rebellion, and the Lord was left.

Will He come back? My prayer is He will...

Milano!

2009-05-20T08:45:00.009-05:00

Ciao!

I've made it to Italy in one piece and it's been a whirlwind ever since. We are staying just outside of Milan. Crossworld has several churches they have planted in the area so we've been to several of them and seen what they are doing. It's great.

It's amazing how much you can learn in a week when you are in an unfamiliar environment. I'll try to pass on some of what I've learned.

Number 1: Italian food is the best! I don't think you can argue it. Every meal I've had has rocked my world. I'm a different person. Fresh food that's made with care will heal one's soul. They put every ingredient in just right instead of slabbering on like they often do in America.

Italians like things slower than America. A lot slower. For them it's about the process not the result here. Convenience and efficiency are desired attributes in America. Quality and enjoyment are desired in Italy. So for example, if the soccer team is playing the bus may or may not show up for an hour or two. Also, they work very differently here...like not very much. A month for vacation every year, at least, many shops shut down for a couple hours in the afternoon so they can eat and drink and sleep. You walk around town and you wonder why everyone's out sitting around talking rather than being at work. It's quite different.

Italians talk to talk. They're education system teaches them to be good arguers, and they are. They are also loud as well. Politics, soccer, food, all of it is up for frequent and loud discussion.

Italians love their mommy. Not that we don't love our mothers, and I do love you Mom! but they REALLY love their mothers. Mothers do no wrong here, unless they're someone else's mother. They keep themselves looking nice, clean the house and keep it spotless, cook amazing food, and are always doting over their boys. It is not uncommon for a son to stay in his parents house till he's 35 at which he finally gets married and moves out of his parent's house.

Italians love and hate their Catholic religion. In general terms, no one goes to the church unless it's Christmas, Easter, a wedding or funeral, and they dislike the boring mass and the Church's politics, but man if you challenge the church in any way as an outsider you are looking at a fight. They will rip it to shreds, but if you so much as say one negative thing then look out. Italy = Catholic. They always have been and plan to always be. The Reformation never really made a dent in Italy and so anything Christian outside of Catholicism to them sounds like an oxymoron.

Now when you combine the fact that Italians love moms and the Catholic church you get something very interesting. The Italians have an amazing fascination with Mary. She's everywhere. You see her more around than Jesus. In fact the duomo or cathedral here in Milan gives an important insight to the way the Catholics, at least here in Italy view Mary.

The Duomo is incredible. It is one of the largest cathedrals in the world. I was told that it has around 3,000 statues in or on it. It can seat 40,000 people. The top spire is over 300 feet tall and and the ceiling inside the Duomo is over 100 feet high. The white marble is gorgeous and it's easy to become a good photographer from the rooftop.

Now interestingly enough at the top of the spire is Mary, not Jesus. She is covered with a gold plating and stands atop Milan for all her citizens to see. She is also prominent within the cathedral. A shrine to her boasts a place to buy candles that one can light as a prayer to her. Her table has more candles then Jesus'. In fact looking around the Cathedral and Milan Christ is often around but He is usually in one of two scenes, His birth or the cross. Both these scenes are situations of vulnerability, which of course we affirm, but there are few if any scenes of Christ's ascension or second coming, scenes of glory. Mary however, is often in a glorified or high manner.
The story I'm told is that when the early church had to defend the deity of Christ the emphasis of Jesus became His divinity. But the people needed a connection to be made between God and man. Now for a culture that places such high respect to mothers because they are comforting and nurturing it is no surprise that the Mother of God, Mary became the representative of man's connection to God.

In fact in the Duomo there is a place where you can buy candles a prayer to Mary or one to Jesus. The times I have been there the Mary stand has more candles than Jesus' stand. Here are two pictures of these places. The first is Mary's the second is Jesus'.

I have been asked why it is a big deal that Mary not be venerated to the degree that some do. The answer is that Jesus is the one and only mediator between God and man. Anything else is to give Christ's glory to another. To claim that Christ is not the only way but Mary is also is blasphemy. Besides, Mary is not the intercessor or go between between God and man. In fact she is dead. This is important. She is a normal person who has died like the rest and is waiting the resurrection of the dead. Christ is the first, He has already done it. Mary and Peter and Paul and Julius Caesar are all dead and will at Christ's appointed time be raised, some to eternal life, others to judgment. Mary is not in a position to help anyone for she herself is reliant upon Christ raising her as you and I are. Therefore, she is to be honored and respected for the tremendous faith that she had but it should not go to the point of placing her in Christ's role; such would be blasphemy akin to saying Buddha is the way to God.

Talking with the ministers here, both Italian and American, it is clear that Catholicism has a different flavor in Italy than in America. For one they have a stranglehold on all aspects of society and culture. They really run the country. In America the Catholics came after the Protestants and so have had to modify things to fit in a Protestant context, thus they are more like Protestants there. But, in Italy anything non-Catholic is a cult. They're veneration of Mary and blurring the lines between works and grace, the selling of indulgences (which still occurs apparently) are all false doctrines and are leading people away from the grace of Christ. The evangelical ministers here view the Church's authority structure as the enemy. Now with that said, they are also quick to point out that there are many true believers and priests within the Church. But, any that place too much emphasis upon Christ's work (which enough cannot be said about) are either expelled, reprimanded, or moved to a location with no influence so as to keep the Catholic traditions and dogmas which are not paying Christ His full due in the forefront. For the Italians the priesthood of the church holds the keys to life and death. They have the goods and the people pay their way and pat them on the back for their power.

In this climate it is devastatingly hard to get people to see that another person is not the way to God, but that God has given the free gift of Christ's sacrifice graciously to those who have faith and will Himself raise them to be with Him, as evidenced by His own Resurrection and ascension to the Right hand of the Father. The Churches here are struggling. The stories are of decades spent with a few dozen converts. Only rarely is there quick substantial growth. It has been quite depressing to hear these servants of God share their pain that the burden they have for lost people stuck in Hedonist Humanistic living or ritualistic dead works based religion are not turning into saved souls. It has taken a toll on these people. Please pray for Christ's workers that they would be strengthened.

Milan is an intriguing place. It really is to Italy what New York is to America. It is different from the rest of the country. Everyone walking around looks like they are going to are at or just came from a fashion shoot. The men are all tall dark handsome (and really skinny). The girls are tall slendor dark, and most have large noses (I guess it's an Italian thing). The dogs are all fat because their masters never take them out.

Overall the city is gorgeous. It is very enjoyable to be in such a vibrant place with people bustling around the streets and cafès sipping coffee or drinking wine and in a loud conversation about anything and everything. All the architecture from the Duomo to the castle to the Galleria to the regular street corner is ornate and beautiful. And yet there is a darkness here. The churches are empty, the streets are packed but you can see the despair and lack of satisfaction in the subways, and the conversations are plentiful but they don't lead to meaning.

My friend Micheal took a picture on top of the Duomo. He used an effect but it wasn't too far off the natural lighting. It was cloudy but the sun was behind the clouds and penetrated enough that you could see it's circle but nothing more and it was darkened enough that you could look at it. He took a picture on the roof with the statues on both sides and the sun behind the clouds in the middle. It looks like the statues of saints and other characters are dark, cold, silent, like grave stones. It was much like the Church here. They build these fantastic structures honoring these people, but their message is not heard. The saints voices are silent and dark. God is the sun but He stands behind the clouds, visible enough to be seen and for Him to be known that He exists, yet covered behind a darkness. This is Italy.

I also came out of a meeting with one of the church leaders, that was depressing and a good warning not to come to Italy to serve unless God was for certain calling me because the likihood of having impressive results is slim when I looked in the grass. Interdispersed among the weeds and grass were a few white dandelions rising above the ground reaching for the sun. They were few and many were ragged and torn but there was something beautiful about their solitude.

This I have also seen in Italy. The believers who are at the churches are amazing. They have a vibrant faith amidst the darkness and although they sit alone in a dark city they are reaching for the Son and in their tattered state they are beautiful. Three were baptized this past Sunday at the church we went to. The people prayed and sang to the Lord and I cried.

I don't know if God has Italy in my future, but He does have it in my prayers, and if nothing else I desperately want to bring comfort and support to brothers and sisters who are slaving without their efforts being rewarded, at least this side of the grave. They could use your prayers too as do the people of Italy, who on the whole make food from heaven, but can't seem to figure out how to get there themselves.

Latvia Experiences 5

2009-05-11T00:05:00.008-05:00

I am sharing these major events in my life for a few reasons. The first is to give glory to God for the acts that He has done and the impact that He has had on my sinful life, and to share these stories of God's grace, mercy, and awe-inspiring glory. The second reason is to remind myself of what He has done for me. It is intimidating facing the beginning of the rest of your life. For me this is the movement from the theoretical to the actual. I've thought about ministry for a while and now it is at the door. Stuff like that makes you in your flesh question the Lord's goodness. He has been good to me even though I tend to forget. I'm retelling myself these stories for my sake as much as yours. Anyway hope you enjoy them and they encourage you that God is in control and He loves and is good.

The other life defining moment on that trip was in London during our debrief. We had 3 or 4 days there to kinda unwind. We were all emotionally drained from the trip, being away from home, dealing with spiritual stuff non-stop, being 16 in general, all that. On one of the days we had our afternoon to do whatever we wanted. I went with three of my close friends Jeff, Brad, and Seth to hit the town.

***Disclaimer***: I do not in any way or manner endorse the actions taken below as a means of acquiring anything of benefit, including but not limited to finding God, getting away with stupidity, learning the meaning of your life, and highly promote the avoidance of such actions and/or methods by any individual, but especially those of the younger ages, for such actions may produce the following side effects, but are not limited to the following: stabbing, shooting, loss of direction, incarceration, girlish crying, cursing the divine, lamenting one's existence, life, or poor decision-making skills and choices.

Some background information- I love cities, history, architecture, all of it. I grew up playing the computer games civilization (history game) and Simcity (an architecture and city making game), and now here I was in London with all the monuments and architecture and history and everything. Heaven! We had seen some of the sights already but I wanted to see the Tower Bridge the Tower of London and St. Paul's Cathedral among other places.

So, we set out and the guys wanted to go shopping first and get some souvenirs. I wasn't thrilled about that but hey, I'm a christian who just came off a mission trip and I'm supposed to be humble and not place my wants above others and all that so I should keep quiet about what I wanted to do right? All but that last part. That was really stupid. I just bottled it up and that was a big problem.

So anyways we go shopping, here we are four dudes in London and we're shopping. I didn't get it. Plus all the stores had the same souvenirs and knick knacks. So we shopped for a while and then we got hungry so we went to a restaurant and it took us like an hour to get pizza and I'm getting frustrated. Then it's starting to get to the evening, like 7 o'clock and we needed to get back by 9 or so. Remember we got started an hour or two after noon and here we are almost done and we, in my opinion at the time, had completely wasted our afternoon.

We ended up heading back and I was FUMING. I was silent the whole trip but inside I was boiling over and I was about to snap. We finally got back to the hotel and I looked Brad in the eye with what must have been amongst the most intense determined glares as I told him "I need to go" because he looked at me bewildered and said have scared half confused "ok", and I turned around...

Here was the plan in my head. I was going to march back the half mile or so to the subway station get on and head downtown myself to see what I wanted to see. Bear in mind I'm as mad as I've ever been, I'm 16 and think I know everything, and am off kilter anyways from the whole trip. I'm also in one of the biggest cities in the world, at 9 o'clock, and the subways close at 1 in the morning, and I don't have contact info for where we are staying and all that...Oh, AND I'M 16!

Here's the subway system. By this time I had more or less figured it out and how it worked.

Now when I got to the station I knew it was for only one line, so it had one train going the way I wanted to go and one going the other way so I had a 50/50 chance of getting the right one going downtown. I would get on if it was the right one go until I got to the station where I would switch lines head downtown satisfy my desires and then head back. If I got the train going the wrong way I would catch it before the next station, get off and get on the other train going the right way.

Well I guessed wrong but caught it and headed on the other train going the right way this time, still 16 alone in London at night...

Now the trains there have several cars connected together like this. They have several cars connected together sometimes up to 15 or 20. I don't how many this had but it was at least 10 maybe more.

So I get on one of the cars at random and stand holding the poll. I'm still furious. To my left I almost immediatly notice a man sitting down. He was a black man, which is a little strange to see in London (and it's even weirder when they're big and speak with a proper British accent because it just doesn't fit), but he's also wearing a bright neon orange construction vest, and guess what he has in his lap...a Bible. At this sight a new battle emerges in my mind. There seems to be something up with this guy and it seems more than coincidence that he's here next to me with a Bible in his lap. So I wrestle with God and then finally cave. "Alright God this is too clear so I'm going over there".

I sat down next to the man and said something stupid like "nice book there". He acknowledged me and asked if I knew it, I said yes. He opened it and read some verse. He asked me if I knew the Gospel and I said I did. He took me through a few passages to make sure and I then took him to some verses that I had found on the trip.

This went on for a little bit and it was so clearly God given that I chose to miss the station switch and continue with him. We went for a little while longer and then he abrubtly said that he had to get off at this stop so I thanked him walked out with him and then this part gets hazy. There were a lot of people around but it seemed from my vantage point that he vanished and I should have been able to see him longer than I did. I was tired and very well could have been mistaken and I fully acknowledge that, but a part of me wonders if he was an angel.

Angel or man he was particularly placed by God at that exact spot at that exact time and did exactly what God wanted Him to do. I can't claim it was coincidence that I got on the wrong train going the wrong way, caught it got off, got onto the other train, happened to pick the car that he was sitting in and that he convinced this punk 16 year old idiot that he should listen to Scripture rather than his own selfish desires. I have no other option but to say that God was there in a way, and here's why...

When I got to the other train I sat down and was overwhelmed with the fullest sense of peace and joy I have ever felt. I sat and smiled. I had no worries, no anxieties, no curious thoughts because I was convinced that I had just encounted God here in my midst. I've scored go ahead touchdowns diving into the endzone with 2 minutes left and basked in the scream of the homecrowd, but even in those moments there were still worries despite the joy and elation. I still wondered whether so and so noticed my play, whether I would be acknowledged at school the next week, whether coach would congratulate me watching film the next day in front of the team, and many other worries while yelling for joy to the ski with fists raised in victory. And yet, on that train I was so utterly and completely at peace, relaxed, and filled with joy. I was basking in the glory of God. I got a taste of heaven. It will be a place of no worry, no tension, no anxiety; a place of joy, peace, rest, comfort, freedom. That's what I felt.

I stayed on the train through the station that would send me downtown and went back to the hotel. I walked with a spring in my step and a smirk on my face, shoulders relaxed and soul at rest. I walked in told Brad I was back took a shower and went to bed.

Once again, REMEMBER, this is not what I deserved. I didn't get this because I was being obedient. I got it despite myself. I deserved to be mugged or lost or stranded in the heart of London while the trains and taxis stopped running for the night. But God was gracious in the midst of my sins to keep me safe and show me true peace and joy surpassing anything any building could ever offer me.

God is a gracious God who takes wicked evil rebellious people and offers mercy to them. His grace comes and changes the heart of stone, arrogant and pompous out in the subways of London at night and at 16 and softens and protects them as He leads them back home. His people and angels do His bidding. He has control and will orchastrate majestic meetings that can change someone's life.

Whether that was an angel or man they did something very simple, they obeyed. They preached the word and God used it in me without them knowing what was going on and even me approaching them and were obedient when they needed to be. God worked and saved me from a lot of dangerous perils, and likely a disappointment with a bridge or tower. My God is good and I will serve Him. I must, I have no excuse...and I would have it no other way.

I still want to question, not that event, because it was so clear and pure I cannot, but whether God is here now. I worry and fret and question where He has me and where He's taking me. I like Israel before me have experienced the presence of God and have turned around and acted as if we have forgotten. And yet He beckons, and yet He calls. Please pray that I would answer, and whether I get another man or angel, I will get Him in the end, and it will all be worth it when I lay in perfect rest in His protecting and forgiving arms. May I perservere until that day! I pray the same for you.

Latvia Experiences 4

2009-05-10T23:08:00.004-05:00

The other posts describing what happened there were great but there were two huge experiences that no less than changed my life. This is the story of the first of the two. They both happened on the first trip when I was 16. I am not able to ever say that God does not exist because of these two events. They both altered the way I viewed Him and the way He works and the way He feels about me and you.

We held youth camps while in Latvia for 10-20 year olds and ran it similar to Christian camps in America. So you have your meals, you have your games and special events, free time, and then the messages, which would have a skit, music, and a message followed by small groups discussing the message. That year the talks were on relationships. The first was on relationship with friends, second relationships with family, third relationships with the opposite gender, and the fourth was on relationship with God. Obviously the first three were leading towards the last talk about their relationship with God where we wanted to present that God is their Creator and loves them and wants to save them from sin and death.

I had a translator and a group of 13 and 14 year old boys and girls. The first two groups went really well. The kids were very responsive answered questions and were paying close attention to what we talked about. I felt in control and was pleased with my first leading experience, especially seeing that it was with people from another country. Then something changed...

The third lesson went awful. They were playing in the grass, not paying attention, messing around, uninterested, all that. I was baffled, and really worried because the next lesson was on their relationship with God and if they weren't going to pay attention then they might not listen to what the Lord was saying to them.

Turns out that there were several factors. They were probably tired, plus they were 13 and 14 so what can you expect. But the one major factor that probably played the biggest factor was that we were speaking about relationships between guys and girls. It turns out that they typically at least at that time didn't start getting serious about dating until they were about 18 so we were talking about something a little past what they were thinking about. But I didn't know that.

I was freaking out! I didn't know what to do. These kids were doing great and then all of a sudden they just shut down. How could I possibly help these kids to see the Lord? I came up with nothing. I spoke with others, I prayed, I worried, I thought, and came up with nothing. I ran to the end of myself and finally said to the Lord something to the effect of "hey God, I don't have a clue what you want me to do here. I'm really confused and I have NO IDEA what to do. So if you want to do something tomorrow you're going to have to tell me what to say cuz I don't know what to do here!" Sometimes God answers your prayer vaguely how you asked for it, and other times He answers it more specifically than you intended it to be. This was one of the latter situations.

The next day after the main message the small group got together in the hallway of the school in the little town we were staying in. I was sitting in a chair against the wall and the kids and translator were in a semi-circle around me. I started talking and of course the translator would translate what I said and then I would talk and so on. I talked for 45 minutes (including translation) and when I got done speaking I didn't remember a thing I said. I remember that everything I said was about the Gospel, and everything was something I had thought or heard sometime in the past. I was speaking about verses I hadn't memorized and thoughts that had occurred to me through various sermons that I had heard half a decade before but couldn't place when or where it was. The closest I remember was some analogy with a bus, and that's all I've got. What's more amazing is that while I was speaking I felt like "me", "myself" or whatever I am was in the wall above my body, conscious, and watching what was happening, noticing how the kids were reacting to what was being said, all that.

When we were done and had our meeting afterward, all those who weren't believers had accepted Christ, and all those who had accepted Christ had rededicated their lives. I'm convinced, although there are other possible explanations, such as my tiredness distorting my perceptions and whatever, but I truly believe that God took control of my body and my words and spoke exactly what He wanted to say. He had been grooming me and placing events and thoughts and Scripture through a lifetime of church for this moment when He would bring them out and speak them Himself using my body. All this while not destroying or altering my mind or conciousness. I had asked the Lord to speak and I believe He did, and I think the proof was the kids faces as they heard the Word of God. He spoke exactly what they needed to hear and they responded to their master's call.

This kind of event turns out has Scriptural precedence. Throught the years I've found these correlations with Scripture. The entire idea of inspiration comes along similar lines as this, although I would like to make clear that I am not placing what happened with me on the same plane as the inspiration of Scripture. Nevertheless, the idea of inspiration is that God through His Spirit affected the authors of the Bible through the author's own personality and personhood to write out exactly what God wanted them to write. I asked Him to speak and He used me in the very spot I was to reach His people.

Another example is Jesus Himself. He said that "the word which you hear is not Mine, but the one who sent me" John 14:24, and "My teaching is not my own, but His who sent Me" John 7:16. Thus, Jesus Himself thinks that the words that He says do not originate with Him but with the Father. Jesus is concious and active in His will, but His will is actively submitting to the Father. It is this submission that allows the Father to speak through Jesus and thus He can say that "The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His work. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise beleive because of the works themselves." John 14:10-11. Thus, everything Jesus did was summed up in His submission to the Father and the Father doing work through Jesus.

Jesus claims throughout John 14-17 that His disciples can have a similar relationship, in that through submission to the Father He can use their body and personality and will to do exactly what He wants to do. Note the similarity with what Jesus tells the disciples in Luke 12, "When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or WHAT YOU ARE TO SAY; FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL TEACH YOU IN THAT VERY HOUR WHAT YOU OUGHT TO SAY."

This happens throughout the New Testament. The Spirit in indwellt believers submits to the Lord and speaks exactly what He wants, His Word, and the people of God respond to the message.

Although God doesn't always work in such dramatic ways, He certainly is capable. And even if He doesn't want to put you through a situation similar to mine His Spirit is still able to give you exactly what you are to say. Give credit to the Spirit which reveals to us what the Father would have us say to His creation.

By the way I have had one and only one experience like this.

Latvia Experiences 3

2009-05-10T22:52:00.003-05:00

There were many times throughout those two trips where God worked in remarkable ways. Unfortunately, I have forgotten many of them. Others I have not forgotten. I remember one instance where it was free time at the camp and the kids were playing around. I was talking to God as I walked around and asked Him what He wanted me to do with my time. I got an immediate urge to look to my left. There was a boy, maybe 10 or 11. If you weren't paying attention you wouldn't notice anything. But, because I was focusing on him there was something behind his facade that he was fronting, a pain, a feeling of being left out or something similar to that. In a split second I had asked, received and moved toward the boy. I didn't do much. I just picked him up and twirled him, or slugged him in the arm and smirked, or rubbed his head, some sort of physical contact because I couldn't speak with him. He immediately brightened up and then had the confidence to join the others. It was striking to me that physical contact as simple as a playful push or picking a boy up can have such an impact and communicate so much. Throughout the trip this played a large part of what we did and it really worked. Apparently the world God made is important in communicating the realities of the spiritual realms, such as love.

I was given extra strength that I shouldn't have physically had, not in lifting a car off a kid or anything like that but just had more energy. During one of the teaching lessons I was exhausted physically emotionally everything. I spoke with the Lord and asked Him for strength to serve because I was past my limit. He didn't answer right away. I was struggling to stay awake. Then the boy next to me touched me on the arm and all of a sudden I was wide awake and smiling and full of energy to interact with this boy. At the end of one of the trips when everything was done and we were getting ready to go to London for our debriefing. We were in a hotel hanging out for the rest of the night and we were going to leave the next day or something like that. I remember I got into my room and laid down on my back on the bed after my roommate left. I was so exhausted. I just laid there and cried. Not the weeping or heaving kind of cry. I was completely still and tears were just falling out of my eyes. As bad as high school football camp was, and trust me it was atrocious, this was more tiring. I just laid there and let everything just be for half an hour. I recognized that I had been running on extra energy that was needed to minister during that time and my service time was over and I didn't need the energy anymore and so I laid there under the weight of three weeks of running past capacity. God provided what I needed to speak to love to His people.

Latvia Experiences 2

2009-05-10T14:37:00.005-05:00

The second year we went Brad, Jon, and I went early with Scott to France before the other team got to Latvia and spent some time. It was a quaint little town called Ecouen just north of Paris. If you go to www.googlemaps.com and punch in ecouen, france it will bring up the town. It has a chateau that is absolutely gorgeous and it's right in the middle of this little town.

One day we were hanging out and we wanted to go get something to eat. We went to the store and it was closed we were a little surprised at this, but undeterred we went to the next one. Closed. Restaurant-closed. Store closed. Post office closed. Bird house in the tree closed. The entire town shut down. Apparently they do this everyday during lunch. For two hours they close everything and take a nap or something. Meanwhile we almost died, but then we didn't. I'm glad we didn't.

You may not find this funny but if you are Brad Fox or Joe Brooks and you read this you will laugh. At the end of the trip that year we were in some school waiting to be taken somewhere- the details aren't important. What is important to the story is that we were all exhausted beyond anything imaginable. So everything was over dramatic. We were sitting around and talking and just goofing off. Joe is a really tall guy and he tends to talk very monotonely and has a fairly deep voice. He had some ice cream and one of the girls, I think it was Cassie bumped him during our horsing around and he dropped his ice cream. And in the most despaired emotion packed monotone sentence I have ever heard, all while chuckling, he matter-of-factly lamented "you made me drop my ice cream", to which the exhausted Brad Fox proceeded to laugh harder than I have seen anyone ever laugh, which of course caused uncontrollable laughter by the rest of us for a good 15 minutes. Tears were spillt as was Joe's ice cream. I laughed, you might not have.

Latvia Experiences 1

2009-05-10T13:31:00.005-05:00

This first post will give some fun stories from those trips for your simple enjoyment.

The trip began very dramatically for me. I was born in Canada but moved to Phoenix when I was about a year and a half years old, so I grew up in America but am technically Canadian and have a Canadian passport. That first year we had asked our leader whether I needed a visa to get into Latvia and he said no. Apparently he didn't check it out very well...

So we land late at night in Riga. The plane stayed on the runway and they pulled up the stairs to the door of the plane like they do for the president. We then were picked up by a bus and driven to the terminal. Inside there were two lines where two guards stood to take our passports, one male one female. They looked like this guy but meaner after flying across the world

This guy was stone cold, AK-47 wielding, iron jawed, I'm going to rip your face off kind of a guy- I was 16.

So I'm a little out of it after the long trip. I'm towards the back of the line. Everyone is getting through with no issues. When I get up to this guy's station I hand him my passport he looks down it, looks up at me with an unbelieveable look of disgust and says "Visa!"

nothing else, just "Visa!" I give him the open mouth I'm confused look, and he repeats "Visa!" a little more forceful this time. My heads on a swivel and I'm muttering noises as I give out my save me I'm about to be pumped full of Soviet lead signals. Apparently this guy wasn't too keen on English, but he had down Visa, and he was certain that I needed one.

Matt one of our leaders came up from the back to help. His look was similar to mine except he was taller and a little older and a little more dignified. The other guard then came over and she, just as cold, but more helpful, said "you need visa" and pointed around the corner.

Somehow she communicated to us that we needed to fill out paperwork that was in Latvian or Russian or from Mars (I wouldn't know the difference) and broken English and then go and pay some money at a bank. So we went filled out the form and went to the bank room, I guess that's what it was. It was a square glass room. There sat a woman behind the desk in the room. She was cold as ice as well. So far I had seen 3 Latvians and 0 smiles.

Matt came to the door and pulled. It didn't budge. He looked inquisitively at the woman. She glanced up, also with disgust, and motioned for him to come in. He pulled even harder on the door. Nothing. Another look. This time a smirk was on her lips and she once again moved her fingers telling us to come in but did it slower this time. At this gesture Matt got to thinking. He paused and then enacted his thoughts. He pushed and the door slide open smooth as butter. Latvians 3 smiles 0 smirks 1.

She then gave me a visa and I got into the country, but I was more than a little terrified.

How did I get involved with Europe in the first place?

2009-05-10T13:18:00.005-05:00

How did I get involved with Europe in the first place?

In high school our youth group ever few years or so would take a short term mission trip in the summer to Latvia to work with youth camps over there for two or three weeks. Our groups were led by our youth pastor Scott Runzo, who moved there to minister, and is now finishing up in Latvia and will be now working in the States and Rwanda. Shout out to Scott!

Anyways the first year I went and loved it and then two other guys, Brad and Jon, and myself went the following year with another group from the Phoenix area. These two trips changed my life. I fell in love with ministry, with God's people, and most importantly with the Lord. Everything that I had learned as a kid growing up in church became very real. Loving people was always important and I knew that, but when I was there and couldn't speak the language, and yet through simple smiles, hi-fives, and horsing around could still communicate that I cared about them and to see the impact that made on them made a huge impression on me. God's word became alive on that trip as I saw it fleshed out in lives that changed before my eyes. There were also some interesting experiences that I can't interpret any other way other than saying that God intervened. There were several times when I was tired and received extra strength, needed wisdom and received it, didn't know the words and yet they came. In the next few blogs I'll share some of these experiences. I hope they encourage you.

Here's a picture of our team that first year. Oh memories!

Why has Christianity Fallen? Part 7-Existentialism

2009-05-08T08:39:00.006-05:00

In the aftermath of WWII minds all over Europe tried to make sense of what happened. Not many could. It seemed that the whole ordeal was meaningless, that no purpose was served, at least no good purpose. The confusion, anger, and despair that resulted was Existentialism. Existentialism essentially is the belief that there are no absolutes. There is no absolute truth, only relative truth to individuals. Likewise, with morals, beliefs, etc.

The existentialists saw the centuries of Christians fighting over what each side believed absolutely, and thought that foolish. They saw Hitler claiming the Aryan race absolutely superior to all other races, and they rejected that. Yet there seems to be this tendency in man to search for meaning.

Existentialism holds that individuals should be free from outside forces to seek out their own individual meaning in an absurd and crazy world, apart from the pressures of moral, ethical, or religious systems. None has the right answer for everyone. In some cases this philosophy ends in a despair at the state of humanity, tossed and rolled by absurdity. In other cases it ends still in an optimism, but not founded in anything that can be translated to another individual. It is personal and undefinable so what I experience cannot be connected with your experiences. Oprah fits perfectly into this category.

Existentialism denies outright any absolute standard that all people fall into. Thus, it is likely impossible to hold firmly to existentialism and still maintain belief in the Christian God who reigns. If there are no absolutes than God has no truth in and of himself, nor does He have a set moral standard He expects us to live by.

Existentialism from WWII till the present has greatly controlled Europe and it is evidenced all throughout European culture. It is the byproduct of centuries of trying to find meaning from man, not from outside of man. It is this movement that has caused Europe to abandon Christianity.

Thus, in summary, Europe left Christianity generally through this movement:

Although positive in many respects, the Reformation brought about a focus on the individual, and degraded the authority of tradition, and the collective community, which then lead to the search for emancipation from many authorities and the overthrowing of kings and the Church. This new search for freedom also sought freedom for the mind from superstitious beliefs and led to the rationalistic and empiricist movements which focused on man in and of their selves being able to find truth. This was best seen in the rise and rule of science in the 1800s. With Darwin's theory man now had a scientific explanation that could explain life without God as the cause. This lead to the socialist governmental movements which now felt capable of doing the job the churches should have always been doing by helping the poor. Optimism in mankind and his ability were at an all time high until it received the blow of WWI, and the fatal wound of WWII. Europe for the most part could not connect the happenings of the war with an all powerful all good God and thus fell into despair, or at least relativism and completely rejected the God who controls absolutely, and loves absolutely. Hence, we now see a Europe that is Post-Christian.

Why has Christianity Fallen? Part 6- World Wars I&II

2009-05-07T23:50:00.004-05:00

The 1700s and 1800s were a time of total optimism in Europe. European ideals, culture, and dominance had spread throughout the globe. China, India, Africa, the Americas all lay in the control of European powers. As they were conquering the other races, they were also conquering their world. The vast unknown was now opening up wide before the great scientific method. Superstitions were being left behind as Europe became Enlightened. No longer was a god necessary to understand ourselves and the world we lived in. Everything seemed to be on pace for the emancipation of humanity and a new golden age like none before stood on the horizon beckoning the best of Europe to claim her. There was nothing but reasons for optimism.

All this changed in 30 years. Through a complex web of alliances an assassination of one individual sparked the division and war of the entire continent. WWI witnessed approximately 8 million deaths, with another 21 million injured. Britain and France fought with Germany for a line of land the entire war. The line moved 100 miles in all while millions were mowed down in the trenches. Gas warfare, tanks, machine guns, and planes pumped lead into each other pointlessly for 4 years. Russia starved and overthrew their Czar. Of those who went out to war 57.6% received casualties. About a tenth of the populations of Britain France and Germany were killed during the war. The only reason the war ended was because America sat out until the end. They had a vested interest in both sides, seeing that the country was comprised of millions of immigrants from both sides. As the Axis and Allies went 12 rounds America stayed neutral. Eventually they sided with the Allies and their fresh force was just too much for the Axis. So much for that optimism!

This was a major drawback. How was it possible that such a civilized continent could turn on each other and erupt all from one assassination in Austria? The optimism of the previous century had a hard time limping from the ashes of the war, but it did still emerge and life returned to normal and Europe continued to advanced,... except for in Germany.

For WWI stats:
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWdeaths.htm

After the war the Allies put enormous sanctions upon Germany. They treated them like they were the only ones who committed atrocities, even though the evils were roughly even on both sides. The treaty of Versailles disabled the German military and forced enormous taxes going to the victors. So, with the country starving and rotting what did Germany do? They were a wild starving dog trapped in a corner and for it to survive it felt like it needed to snap back. And thus, through the over-emphatic sanctions on Germany, the Allies brought Hitler upon themselves.

And we all know what he did. The Holocaust, killing approximately 6 million Jews, with possibly another 5 to 11 million others burned in the ovens of concentration camps. WWII saw over 50 million total deaths. In WWI 95% of the casualties were military. In WWII the percentage of military casualties was only 33%. Thus, 67% of the casualties were civilians! The atrocities are unbelievable, from the battleground with tanks, bombers, and grenades, to the A-Bomb, to the Siberian Tundra where dissenters to the Soviets were shipped by the millions. It was here that humanity for the first time saw worldwide pure evil in all kinds of forms.

For stats on WWII
http://www.angelfire.com/ct/ww2europe/stats.html

After WWII something had to give. Optimism was no longer possible after such atrocities. Europe believed itself destined to reach the new heights of perfect societies, but instead gave us the Holocaust and the Bomb. After decimating civilian populations, the fire bombing of Dresden, the atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Europe had to grapple with this new form of evil. Who or what was responsible?

Science or Religion? These two had been two of the driving forces behind Europe. Religion had lost its' grip in the 1800s and when the breaking point came for Europe it was the one to go. Although science gave mankind the tank and the machine gun and the Bomb, religion didn't stop them. Science had become the favorite son that could do no wrong. After all she had given Europe her dominance over the rest of the globe. When blame went out it fell on God. He did not stop such atrocities. Where was He and His Church when the Germans started packing the people into the trains? Where was He when Paris fell? Where was He as Britain's civilians hid in terror from the bombs of the Luftwaffe? Where was God when the Russians and Allies blew Berlin to the ground? Under the Church's watch Hitler emerged, and the Church was helpless to stop him. How could God exist? And if He did how could He be good?

Clearly there is a struggle here because the Church did not prevent the war, nor did God intervene to prevent it. However, Europe was the one who wanted to remove God from their midst. The intellectuals had been pushing for the "death of God" for some time. Now when they saw what it was like without Him, they blamed Him for letting them run with their own fancies. Certainly the Church should have done more, but at the same time, it is not as if the Church did nothing. Yet, rather than taking responsibility and stock of what we had done, the majority fell into despair and abandoned any hope of a God who interacts with humanity. It is at this point that Christianity truly died in Europe.

Why has Christianity Fallen? Part 5- Social Injustice

2009-05-07T23:02:00.001-05:00

Simultaneously with the advance of science the role that the church played in society took a back seat. Over the centuries Christianity began to be associated with wars against other Christians, and clergy that use and abuse their people for money and power. Whether right or wrong this view of the Church really began to take root. This loss of prominence of the Church is best seen in the rise of Communism.

Karl Marx, commonly associated with starting the movement towards communism, lived from 1818-1883. As he observed society he noticed a huge disparity between the rich and the poor and the plight this brought on the less fortunate. Going along with the optimism of the 1800s and the search for the perfect society Marx tried to find a way to alleviate the existence of a poor class by creating no class systems. In communism and socialism everyone in that society has the same rights, property, everything is shared.

Here's how this plays into our discussion. For over a millennium Christianity dominated Europe. If it was such a great religion whose Holy book commanded the taking care of the poor, then why were there so many in Europe who were in extreme poverty? Either the Church did not serve a purpose, or it wasn't doing its' job. Both are equally damaging propositions. The Church had failed over the centuries to take care of the weak, the poor, the sick, at least to any substantially significant manner. If they had why would you need communism? If the Church is taking care of the poor then why would the state have to take care of them? The Church wasn't though so it took someone outside the Church to attempt to do the job of the Church. The results have mostly been negative, although their intentions are in line with Christian teaching, just lacking the power of the source to bring about the sought utopia.

If the most powerful aspect of Christianity is the humility of its' leader, and it most certainly is, then if the followers of Christ do not share that humility and compassion then the Church is destined to become obsolete. And so it did...for now.

Why has Christianity Fallen? Part 4-The Rise and Rule of Science

2009-05-02T11:59:00.008-05:00

The 1700s were largely ruled by the idea that man could know reality by using their rational abilities. This view was still prominent but took a back seat to the idea that most of knowledge is gained through experience, called empiricism, in the 1800s. Science had been for the past several centuries growing in prominence. It had shown how to navigate the world, explained our place in the cosmos, why things fall, how to heal ourselves, etc. Earlier European history was under the authority of the church and the Scriptures. By the 1800s it was under the optimism of man's ability to reason to the truth and find it in the test tube. Science had discovered so much and overturned so many "superstitious" or "supernatural" ideas that it began rule.

Up until this point the church was still pervasive throughout the continent. Protestants and Catholics, as well as the Orthodox still were widely accepted, or at least respected by almost all. It is during this period that the Church's influence began to slip, and the propaganda war was lost, although the effects would not surface until the next century.

Where is the start of knowledge? In man or outside man? Christianity said outside of man in the revelation of God in the Scriptures. Science and rationalism said in man's intellect and experience. Science and Christianity in Europe were brothers throughout history, until the Enlightenment. Most of the conflict between science and religion during the early 1800s was passive. Science was advancing by leaps and bounds, while Christianity seemed to be stagnant because it is by definition held to a static book, the Bible, which has been the same since its' composition. As science advanced it seemed that religion explained less and less and was therefore less necessary, especially when compared to science. Science often wasn't outright attacking religion, just ignoring it as unhelpful. However, there was one notorious battle that was active on both ends, evolution.

The early 1800s brought great insights in the realm of biology. In closely examining the morphology (studying the structure and function of the physical bodies of animals) many started to notice similarities between different animals. The wing bones of birds looked similar to legs on reptiles, etc. Many began to wonder why the similarities. Now remember that they had adopted the starting location in mankind's mind, not in anything external. Therefore, as they tried to explain these similarities the idea that there might be a similar cause of the bird's wing and the reptile's leg would be found.

Simultaneously some other interesting findings were occurring in other fields. In the early 1800s scientists began finding enormous skeletons of animals no longer in existence on earth, the dinosaurs. This was fascinating, especially when trying to combine that idea with the Biblical story. Also, with the harnessing of electricity people started to experiment with it in different ways. In 1771 Luigi Galvani discovered that if you take a dead frog and run electrical current through the body the frog's muscles could still move. This brought on the search for a "life force" which brought life to animals and people. This search brought about Mary Shelley's book Frankenstein where she questions the idea of "playing God" by trying to artificially create life. Obviously the life force was never found but it moved the search, even of life, into the realm of the obtainable by science, rather than the unattainable level of the mystery of God. One other discovery lead to Darwin, that being the work of the geologist Charles Lyell who came up with the idea of uniformism in geology which says that the processes that happen in the present have always occurred in the same way. With this assumption in place scientists could study the processes happening presently, the way earthquakes work, the rate at which carbon decomposes, etc. and then mathematically figure out how old the earth is. With this assumption in place the age of the earth moved to the millions of years of age.

All these led to Darwin's astute observation that if one takes natural means that it is likely that through the process of natural selection different species could arise from each other, having the same origin. His natural selection idea should never be argued against because it is so obvious. Essentially it says that the animals which reproduce the most offspring that also reproduce offspring that...and so on, the characteristics of these animals will be passed on, whereas the characteristics of an animal that does not reproduce offspring that reproduce... will go extinct. In other words, the attributes that survive will survive, and those that don't will not. It's as simple as that. Nobody who understands how it works should ever argue with this theory.

Now the issue that many took with Darwin was the conclusion that many abstracted from Darwin's theory, that if through mutations different characteristics could come in a population, that if you get enough time and enough mutations then you can show that all the different species come from the same origin, thereby making no essential difference in the origin of man from the origin of an insect, thereby rejecting God's special creation and placement of man above the animal kingdom. Those who followed Darwin showed that there was an extremely large amount of evidence backing natural selection and that species can arise from species. From this fact it was extrapolated that the higher levels of the classification system could also develop from each other.

The Christian community faced a dilemma because science had apparently described away need for God in creation. Obviously they needed to fight back but, in my opinion fought it on the wrong battleground. Many uninformed Christians came out and outright denied all of Darwin's ideas. They denied natural selection, the origin of species from other species, and the common anscentory of all the animal kingdom. In my opinion we shot ourselves in the foot by focusing on all three of these, rather than on just the last objection. Let me explain.

Anyone knows natural selection works to some degree. It's intuitive that if only Asians would give birth, then pretty soon the earth would have no white or black, or any other race but Asian people. Any objections to this? No because it's obviously true. This is natural selection.

The next issue, over species evolving from other species is more problematic. First what are species? "Species" is part of an organizing of all life forms put forth by Carl Linneaus in the late 1700s. He organized life into the most general Kingdoms, down in more specific categories, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, all the way down to the most specific Species. There is a rhyme and reason to these classifications, but they could just as easily be changed around if the scientific community chose to. They are not set in stone. So what are some examples of animals that are in the same genus but different species? The family Delphinida contains the dolphins. Within this family are the genuses Orcinus (killer whales), Globicephala (pilot whales), and Stenella. The Stenella genus contains the different species that contain the spinner dolphins, spotted dolphins, and striped dolphins. These dolphins are all extremely similar, yet are different species.

So here's the question, what does a Christian have to hold concerning the Linneaus classification system to be in line with Genesis? Genesis says that God created the animals according to "their kind", so evidently there is some special distinct creation of each of the "kinds" God creates. What are these "kinds"? Are they the species of Linneaus' classification? Certainly not. Genesis was not saying God created the animals according to the kinds that were classified in the 1700s. So how many are there? The text is not clear, but it does give a hint. The fish are separate from the birds who are separate from the reptiles, who are separate from the animals, who are separate from humanity. Now in Genesis 1:24-25 it says

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so. 25 God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

So the classification that Genesis 1 is using seems to be distinguishing cattle, from creeping things, from the beasts of the earth. Are these the kinds or are there kinds within the cattle and creeping things and the beasts of the earth? It's unclear. But it likely is far less systematized than Linneaus' classification system. So, all that the Christian needs to show to defend Genesis is to show that the origin of the different kinds are distinct. Now, when you take the Genesis classification system and transpose it to the Linneaus classification system the Genesis kinds seem to be equivalent to the class or order regions, which are in the middle of the Linneaus system. All the "evidence," by the way, for evolution is in the Gensus/species level, maybe into the family level. But, there is no clear evidence beyond this region. All they have is extrapolations from what they find on the genus/species level to the higher levels. Essentially they are finding that differences can occur on the species level, where one species comes from another, but they have no solid evidence other than similarities for evolution on a macro level.

So it looks roughly like this:
Kingdom (animals v. plants)
Phylum (worms v. insects)
Class (mammals v. birds)
Order (hawks v. penguins or rodents v. elephants)
Family (spider monkeys v. gorillas)
Genus (Wolves v. Pet dogs)
Species (spinner dolphins v. spotted dolphins)

**Note that the Genesis classification system for sure is within the Class or Order section. It could be more specific than that but there is no clear reason in the text to suggest this.
Note also that the vast majority of the evidence of evolution occurs in the Species and Genus sections and possibly into Family. Beyond that the evidence is extrapolating the findings on the more specific divisions of the Genus and Species to the similarities that are seen in these higher classifications. No hard evidence exists that mammals came from birds, only similarities that make it possible that they could have. However, "Could Have" and "DID" are two different things requiring different arguments.

In the 1800s the Christians were highly tied to the philosophy of the ancient Greeks, including Aristotle. In the Middle Ages Christian theology was combined with Greek philosophy, the most advanced at the time. Aristotle held to the idea of forms, or the perfect essence of something. So we see many circles in life, there is a perfect form of a circle, that is the perfect essence of what circles are. Likewise, there are perfect forms for lions and giraffes, and colors, etc. So, when the 1800s Christian read Genesis, and tried to combine the ideas of Aristotle's forms with Linneaus they thought that every species had a form and was created individually by God in the beginning. This was a faulty idea. But what it meant was that the Christians thought that they had to defend that species did not come from other species. This blunder stood against the overwhelming evidence of the time. Instead of defending that macro evolution lacked evidence they attacked the fundamental ideas that the evidence was providing. All that they had to show was that the evidence could lead to macro evolution but does not necessarily and be indifferent about what the evidence said about micro evolution. But, we attacked what was clearly happening right in front of us and thereby lost all intellectual stance in the academic world. No matter how good our arguments against macro evolution were they were ignored simply because we were idiots and ignorant in talking against the micro level.

The result was catastrophic. Christianity became associated with stupidity and simple-mindedness, separated from any rational and empirical thought. They fought the battle on evolution's ground, the micro level, rather than on where they should have fought it, the macro level. The propaganda war that ensued saw the demise of Christianity in the intellectual elite's view. The populace remained unaffected but when times got rough in the 1900s the wound that began in the 1800s would burst under the weight.

Why has Christianity Fallen? Part 3-The Enlightenment

2009-05-02T11:27:00.003-05:00

The rejection of the monarchies the authority of the Church, and traditional means of knowledge lead to the Enlightenment which dominated in the 1700s and had far reaching impacts into the modern world.

The Enlightenment was a focus on rationalism-logical argumentation as the path to knowledge. The view of the Enlightenment was that humanity had been held back by tradtion and irrational superstitious thought, but now had advanced to the point that they could unleash their chains and free themselves and reach knowledge; become enlightened, see the light so to speak. The Enlightenment carried with it an extreme optimism with it in Europe, that man's ability to use its' rational mind to figure everything out.

This played itself out in many different ways. Europeans viewed themselves as superior to others and thought they ought to spread their proper thoughts throughout the world and liberate the primitive peoples of the world from their "Dark Ages". So the colonization of the world by Europeans was done based on Enlightenment principles.

America's foundation was very much tied to Enlightenment ideas. Their extreme optimism lead them to think that they were building the perfect society. Without the overlordship of the kings or the traditions of Europe they could of their own ability create the "New Jerusalem", a utopia, heaven on earth. This eventually morphed into the Manifest Destiny idea of the 1800s, and if you haven't noticed is still alive and well.

The Enlightenment had a large affect on Christianity because it necessitated that rational argumentation prove anything that was worth believing. As one reads the Bible there are several things that are not irrational, but cannot be proven rationally. Miracles for example are not believed based on reason. They are inherently counterintuitive. You don't expect that a man stepping out of a boat will walk on water. It's hard to prove it's existence rationally. So, the supernatural was slowly excluded from common thought. The Enlightenment clamored for natural explanations for everything. This resulted in God becoming a distant non-personal figure who may have started everything and maintained the universe's order but did not interact with history. This idea of God is called deism and it became very prevalent. Most of the Founding Fathers of the US were deists.

The other affect it had on Christianity was that it took the authority of the Bible and no longer accepted it out right, but placed the need on the Bible to prove itself rationally. Thus, instead of the Bible being the authority, now mankind was the authority and the judge. Thus, if man's reason disagreed with or could not be reconciled with the Scriptures, the Scriptures were abandoned, whereas before it was man's reason that was left behind.

The misuses of superstition and the supernatural caused the huge backlash of the Enlightenment requiring rational proof. In the wake stood the personal supernatural God, who was set apart for a God who was understandable, but distant. The issue is the starting point. For traditional Christianity the start is revelation from another. Mankind does not know nor cannot know everything initially, but if told by another can grasp to some degree the truth, that there is a personal Creator God. For the Enlightenment the start is man who has no limits on their ability to know the truth, it is just a matter of time till they figure it all out. These are highly contradictory ideas.

Eventually rationalism didn't quite teach us everything. It ran into a snag, but fairly easily transfered the baton to the empiricist who continued running with the start being with man, rather than the revelation of God.

Why has Christianity failed in Europe? Part 2-Emancipation

2009-05-02T10:58:00.004-05:00

The Reformation led to a new wave of freedom sweeping through Europe. Emancipation and revolution became the cries all over the continent. Now that the pope no longer had a vulcan death grip on everyone the people started to wonder what else they could free themselves from.

1) The king. It took a while but people started to wonder what gave the king right to be king. Was birth reason enough to make someone king over you? Eventually people said no. The British colony in America came out and cried for freedom. With the help of the French America won its' freedom from the king. The French by assisting the Americans inadvertantly set up the fall of their own king. The French Revolution beginning in 1789 eventually led to the execution of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette in 1793. Such thoughts of the populace rising up against the established governmental systems was not possible a century earlier.

2) The Church. The Church, although still extremely powerful and influential slowly lost some of its' grip on the people. Before the Reformation the clergy had all the knowledge and dispensed it as it saw fit to the laypeople as a commodity which the people payed for. After the Reformation and the printing press the Bible and other spiritual materials were published and distributed to the public. Now the individual did not have to go through the clergy to get the secrets of God. As with the removal of the kingships which brought republics and democracies that placed the power of the country in many people's hands, the printing press spread the wealth so to speak of religious knowledge to a much wider group of people. The average person was freed from the necessity of going to the clergy to gain spiritual commodities.

3) Knowledge. Scientific advances brought Europe into the Modern age. As they looked back at the superstitions and hocus pocus of the past the people sought freedom from superstition and magic. Instead they wanted certainty and reason to rule them. Thus, the entire focus of philosophy and science became the search for truth through rational means, without any use of methods that do not give certain knowledge. Miracles were out, magic was out, improper logic or scientific inquiry was out. Also, the traditions of the past, such as the Greek philosophers, were all put under examination and if they did not stand up to scrutiny they were rejected.

All these lead to the Enlightenment, which will be the next subject.

Why has Christianity failed in Europe? Part 1-The Reformation

2009-04-30T18:21:00.005-05:00

This is a large issue and I'm going to try to sum it up some of the major contributing factors concisely for you in the next few posts. These are only some of the issues, there are many more.

Here's a background history of Christianity in Europe until the Reformation. i will try to explain from the reformation how Europe has gotten to the state it is presently in.

1) Christianity begins in Europe and because of persecution and missionaries spreads throughout the Roman empire until 300 AD
2) Constantine the emperor of Rome converted to Christianity around 320 AD and made Christianity the major religion of the empire.
3) After the fall of Rome the Eastern part of the empire centered in Constantinople stayed Roman, while the Western part centered in Rome was sacked repeatedly by different barbarians. Through the centuries the East and West distanced themselves because of political, cultural, theological issues. Around 1000 AD the two split because the East did not recognize the Pope in Rome's authority over them. The West becomes the Roman Catholic Church and the East become the Eastern Orthodox church.
4) Through advances such as the university Europe becomes dominant for the first time since the Roman empire from the 1200s till the present.

The Reformation was a movement in the early to middle 1500s that was trying to make reforms in the Catholic Church. Some had noticed problems of practice and theology arise in the church and wanted to protest (hence Protestant) these changes and wanted to go back to earlier traditions of the early church. Luther and others (Wycliffe, Calvin, and Zwingli) publicly objected the tradition of the church. Tempers flared and sides were drawn. Eventually the two were forced to split. The Protestants became independent of the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church in turn had its' own Counter Reformation where they adopted many of the changes the Protestants wanted, however the tie had been severed irreparably. Thus, there was clearly admitted by both sides corruption in the Church that needed to be purged, and this came through the Reformation. For this the Reformation is to be praised, for bringing about change in the Church for better, and causing a return to early church tradition rather than the corruption that had crept into the Church. However, several negative aspects came out of the Reformation as well that contribute to the present situation.

A lot of the power of the Reformation came from political alliances made between the religious reformers and the heads of government. At the time there were several major empires and many smaller empires in Europe, but all under in some way the authority of Rome. Luther lived in Germany which at the time was several independent city states that had their own princes, lords, kings, etc. When some of these saw the success Luther had they joined sides, some to promote Luther's religious requests, but many others to advance their own political power. If Luther could instill the people to resist Rome as he was doing, then if a lord or prince joined himself to Luther than he could use the people to revolt against Rome, thereby gaining more political power. This messy political relationship ended in a combination of Religion and Government. The result was the people were used as pawns by the authorities to gain their own political means, while telling the people the fight was because of religion. Europe erupted in war, the Catholics fighting the Protestants, and the Protestants fighting the Anabaptists, and on and on. This history of war is one of the negative aspects of the Reformation.

Effects of the Reformation contributing to the fall of Christianity:
1) Religion in Europe became associated with war amongst brothers. Centuries of war ensued that were politically motivated but fought under the banner of religion. The people were used by the power of religion by the governmental figures.

2) The toppling of the authority of the Church. If the authority of the church could be challenged then what other authorities could be challenged and overturned? From this point on Europe never trusts authority again.

3) Reason and Rational argument trump tradition. This is what those after the Reformation viewed the fight as, reason vs. tradition and reason won. Luther and the other Reformers argued rationally against the traditions of the Church they disliked and overturned them. Now what is missed in all this is that the Reformers weren't anti-tradition. They wanted to obey tradition, the tradition of the early church. Their fight was against the recent traditions, not tradition itself. Nevertheless, what follows is an abandoning of tradtion for reason.

4) The individual is more important than the collective. By the work of individuals the collective was overcome. Europe develops an increasing infatuation with the individual over the collective, as evidenced by America.

5) Doctrinal purity over relational unity. When the rubber met the road the Reformers sacrificed unity in the Church for doctrinal issues. This is debated whether it is right or wrong. I'm not sure, but it surely plays a part later on.

As you will see through later posts, these will factor into the fall of Christianity in Europe.

Abortion in Europe

2009-04-28T21:37:00.007-05:00

For all the talk that is permeating Europe of the immigration problem and the declining birth rate that is leading toward the potential death of the culture (note the escalating desperation), there is very little talk about abortion as a factor in the falling European populations. If you are unfamiliar with this topic see my post on Immigration in Europe and Islam in Europe.

Now it is true that Europe actually has one of the lowest abortion rates in the world. Nevertheless, the abortion rates are contributing to the problem.

Worldwide the number of abortions in the world was approximately 41.6 million a year, slightly in decline from 1995 when the rate was 45.6 million a year. Europe contributed in 1995 7.7 million a year, and in 2003 around 4.3 million a year.

There is much debate over whether the fetus is a person with the same rights as an adult human. I for one see no reason why the physical limitations or lack of development are reason enough to disregard any rights of the fetus. Those who defend abortion better be right, because if they are not the numbers are staggering.

If you compare the numbers of the holocaust, 6 million Jews, another 5-11 million slaughtered by the Nazis during the war to that throughout Europe each year the numbers are equivalent. In 1995 Europe killed more babies than the Nazis killed Jews over the 4 or 5 year period of WWII. Even at the 2003 rate the abortion numbers will surpass over 5 years those of the most liberal stats of the Nazi Holocaust.

Now the effects of abortion are greatly contributing to the birth rate issues in Europe. The rates in Russia are disgusting, even if you are on defending the legality of abortion. Look at the statistics http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/ab-russia.html

These numbers are not exaggerations. 2006 counted 1,582,398 abortions. Of all the pregnancies that year, 52% of them were aborted. That's half the potential population! Russia's birth rate is at 1.34 presently, but was as low as 1.157 in 1999. This is very far below the replacement of 2.1. If in 2004 none of the abortions had occurred the total births would have been 3260996 instead of the actual 1463429. 55% of the pregnancies were aborted that year. If you take away all the abortions the fertility rate instead of being 1.34 would have been around 3. Is there any wonder why there is a problem with the birth rates in Russia?

Russia is clearly the worst in Europe. Others by comparison are far better, but are in their own right atrocities.

This site contains statistics from several countries.
http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/
One will note that the abortion % of France and the UK are around 20%. 1 in 5 pregnancies in these countries is aborted. The UK's fertility rate in 2008 was 1.66, without abortion it would have been 1.99. France's was 1.89 could have been 2.27. These rates by the way include the immigrants in these countries, so the actual fertility rates of the native French and English are far lower.

For comparison by the way the US aborts approximately 1.4 million babies a year compared to Russia's 1.58 million
France's 700 thousand
Romania's 200 thousand
Norway's 57 thousand
Germany's 130 thousand

and China's ~6.9 million in 1997 and ~14 million in 1990.

Overall the % of pregnancies in Europe that are aborted are around 25%. For my American friends, we are not in better situation. We are not exempt of responsibility. In the US the percentage is about 25%, same as Europe.

The Europeans are complaining about the EU's birth rate being at 1.51, but they are not complaining about the abortions occurring at such an alarming rate. God help us all if we do not wake up from the horror that we abort 41.6 million babies a year, a population quadrupling all those killed by the Nazis in the Holocaust, a population equivalent to that of Spain or Kenya. The "hideous" immigrants are not the issue, not when abortion is as prevalent as it is.

Worldwide there are approximately 130 million live births a year. With the approximate 40 million abortions we are killing 1 out of every 4 conceived children...God help us if these are more than just a collection of cells for we have blood on our hands.

For other sites that contain straight statistics without a slant; includes abortion, birth rates, fertility rates, etc.
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_IAW.html
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2127rank.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_birth_rate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_birth_rate
http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0005067.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_fertility_rates_by_federal_subjects_of_Russia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_territories_by_fertility_rate

These might have a slant
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_population/FM1_34/FM1_no34_2005.pdf
http://doctrina.wordpress.com/2009/02/16/abortion-stats-according-to-harpers-index/
http://www.abortionno.org/Resources/fastfacts.html

Why Europe?

2009-04-25T08:02:00.007-05:00

There's a whole lot of lost people...See the post "Is Christianity Dying in Europe?"

This is the reason you minister anywhere; the people that are far from their Creator and need to be called back to worshipping and serving Him.

In America there are many options available to us if we want to find a church. The options are slimmer there, especially in the former Soviet Union. Very few solid churches exist and even fewer are flourishing. Because of the stifling that communism placed on anything religious, unless it was exalting the state, anything related to God has taken a beating.

God gives grace to the humble but will shame the proud.

This theme appears throughout the Bible. God has an intense compassion for people that are weak, poor, suffering. Right from the beginning, when Adam and Eve fell the first move was not to destroy. Although the wrath of God must have arisen at this rebellion He did not act on it but rather His compassion was greater and He clothed their nakedness and sought them as they hid. This is the way He treats fallen man. He seeks those who hide and cower from His holiness, and when He finds them He does not disregard the sin, but acknowledges it and yet moves beyond the filth to restore what was once perfectly His. This same characteristic flows through the whole story.

And now it continues. God still feels this way for His hurting people. The proud have taken control in Europe and they way a heavy burden on their people, to find their own way without acknowledging who they really are and where they came from. God wants to set them free from tyranny, and thus so should we.

The countries of Eastern Europe have often throughout their history been the battleground over which different superpowers fought over on their way to attacking each other. An example would be the abuse that the region received from both the Germans and the Soviets in WWII. Millions were killed, jailed, or sent to work as slaves in concentration camps. This has happened quite a few times for these people.

Most recently the region was taken into the Soviet Union as a buffer zone in case the West and Russia went to war. The region faced oppression from the Soviets as resources and wealth were pumped from these countries to the Russian homeland. Now with the capitalist system takeover these people have had to adjust to an entirely different lifestyle. But, with all the good that capitalism brings it also brings trouble as well. Sex drugs and rock and roll are what they think the West is all about because that is what they see. Thus a materialistic hedonistic form of capitalism is one that they are receiving, rather than one restrained by ethical practices. Without restraints capitalism can be a bear as this latest economic crises has shown us.

These people are hurting because everywhere they turn for direction someone stronger than them is looking to take advantage of them. The Church took their money, the Germans took their lives, the Russians took their freedom, and capitalism is back to taking their money.

So, if they have been mistreated and we should help the poor then why don't I go to the really poor in Africa or Asia, or the poor here in America? I've thought heavily about that. Africa especially has a draw for me. However, my training in undergrad with philosophy and psychology was from a Western perspective and so I am trained to think and understand their perspective which gives me a unique gifting for ministering to them. Thus, as of now I would go to Eastern Europe over Africa or Asia. The reason not to stay in the States with the poor there is that there are enough opportunities for people here to hear the Gospel. We have far more faithful people here than they do there. When fighting a battle sometimes it is necessary to leave a fortified area to make headway in enemy territory, but you have to be willing to pay the price. I want to see if I'm one of those people.

I want to know if these are the hurting people God wants me to work with or not. It seems that most of my training, educational, and experiential make me equipped to minister and understand these people. That is to be seen and I'm looking forward to it. If God says no then I will start looking elsewhere for other hurting people.

Trip Itinerary

2009-04-24T20:19:00.022-05:00

Here's the rough itinerary of the trip

May 13th fly to Italy
May 27th fly to Czech Republic
June 9th fly to Ukraine
June 30th fly to Latvia
July 31st fly to Germany, sightsee in Germany Switzerland and France

The purpose of the trip is to see and learn and observe as much as possible. After seeing everything I can make an accurate assessment of what the Lord wants me to do. So with that as the focus and trying to get a wide range of experiences I will be visiting several different missions agencies, countries, and ministries.

Here's a breakdown of each leg of the trip.

Italy

I have a friend from school, David Showalter, who lived and ministered in Italy for 2 years before coming to DTS. He is leading a group of us and showing us around Italy and the different ministries they are doing there. He is with Crossworld so we will see what Crossworld is doing. They work with several church plants and campus ministries that we will see. If I understand them correctly we will mostly be in Milan, and maybe some in Rome, and we might get a chance to go assist the city that was hit by the earthquake. That team will leave for the US after two weeks and I will continue on to Czech Republic.

Czech Republic

I will be doing two things in Czech Republic. The first will be meeting up with the interns for the summer working with Josiah's Venture. They do work with youth and they own a building in the country that used to be a hotel where they host all the interns for training. Although technically not an intern through them it will be great to see their vision, make contacts, learn about the cultures, and get an all around wide viewpoint of their ministries. This will last a few days at which point I will travel to Prague. Avant ministries does short cycle church plants where they go into an area without a substantial chruch influence with a team of 6-12 people who start a church and attempt to pass it on to the nationals within 5 years. They started a plant in Prague this past winter and so I will get to see what starting a church and actual ministry is really like there. They are still in the beginning stages of evaluating their surroundings and trying to see where to go from there so it will be really beneficial to me to see how they operate and be creative. From there it's on to Ukraine.

Ukraine

In Ukraine I will meet up with Send International. They do church plants as well, but they also work with several Bible colleges and seminaries in Ukraine. They will show me some of the churches and schools to give me a rough idea of what academic ministry would look like in an Eastern European context. In the US I would almost have to get a Phd if I wanted to teach at the university level, but there I could be able to teach at that level with the degree that I will get from DTS so I want to see if this would make sense for me.

Latvia

For the month of July I will join the Josiah's Venture team in Latvia to see the work they do with youth. They will hold several youth camps, most of which I will be involved with, as well as training and equipping youth pastors to work in the country. I will also be getting some sort of a behind the scenes view of their ministry, getting to see how it all runs, what they do, and so on. This is actually how I got interested in Eastern Europe. I took two trips in high school, 2000 and 2001 to Latvia with my youth group the first year and another local youth group the next and we helped out with the summer camps. I fell in love with ministry those summers and have had that as my goal ever since. I look forward to seeing others get the same opportunity to see the Lord work in different ways than He does at home, the way that I did.

Germany, Switzerland, France

I then have 8 days to backpack around these countries. Although not directly doing ministry or seeing specific ones, I will use this time to recoup from the trip for one, and two will use it to further my understanding of the European culture and where I fit in. And... I'm gonna see some pretty sweet stuff.

So that's the trip itinerary. I'll fill in the details later.

Islam in Europe

2009-04-22T22:41:00.008-05:00

Islam is the anti-Europe. The two have been diametrically opposed from Islam's inception in the 600s. Islam spread throughout the Middle East, down through North Africa, up through Turkey. It remained at an impasse with European Christianity with the borders being more or less set for the last 1500 years. There are only a few exceptions, such as Islam's invasion of Spain which remained under Muslim control from around 700-1300 AD, Islam's invasion which reached all the way to Vienna where it was repelled back to Turkey, the Crusades which took and lost, and so on Jerusalem and some other conquests, and then later in the 1800s and 1900s AD the European colonialism over several North African and Middle Eastern countries. Constant conflict has been the characteristic relationship between the two cultures. After centuries of their Muslim armies being held at the gates of Europe some are now seeing a future conquest of the European continent without army, without war, without conflict, and without the sword...

With the wake of Christianity now substantially shrinking many have developed a new fear. Not that God would be upset, but that European culture would be overrun by another. Christianity is so fundamental to European culture that it is hard to continue while leaving it behind. The new fear is that Islam will overrun the continent with its' moral absolutes. The fear is that the morally relative stance of Europe without a tie to their Christian roots will cause a crumbling of European culture under the weight of the highly absolute faith of the Muslims. The immigrant Muslims have a strong connection to their culture, including Islam. This might overpower a culture that is willing to embrace other cultures without holding on to their own. Some are estimating as many as 1 in 5 people in Europe will be Muslim by 2050. Many see the advance of Islam, not through the sword but under the guise of immigration and the wiles of birth rates will conquer Europe, as it has tried many times before, but this time it will succeed. Watch if you want this video, it's an example of the fear that some have concerning this issue.

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/595616/Demographics%20Islm.mp4

I purposefully used very desperate language to mimic the panic that some are feeling concerning this situation. Also notice this very aggressive picture of the guy with the sign. I'm not all that worried about it. I don't agree with all that was said in the video, and believe that there are many other factors working in the situation. Clearly the birth rate is an issue, but I don't think it's to the extent that the video portrays it.

Others are far more subdued in their estimation of the situation. Phillip Jenkins argued for a calmer response in his book "God's Continent." He points out that the Muslims might just as easily become just as secular as the Christians did in Europe, or the Christian immigrants from Africa might reinvigorate Christianity in Europe. There are many more possible scenarios other than the doomsday Isalmic takeover scenario that are much tamer. The one I like to think of is the reinvigoration of Christianity with a new focus not on power but weakness and connection to God that would then convert the incoming Muslims. I would much prefer this scenario. But, either way, the Lord isn't chained to Europe. he cares for it deeply but isn't at all afraid to release it to its' own rebellion and the consequences therein. Perhaps an Islamic Europe is better than a secular one? Perhaps we'll find out. Nevertheless, the Lord reigns and His Church endures.

Here's a picture of the main cathedral in Milan, one of my destinations, with Muslims praying towards Mecca outside of it. Interesting

Immigration Issues in Europe

2009-04-22T13:23:00.007-05:00

Many Europeans fear recent trends that are occurring in European demographics. The birth rate of native Europeans have greatly decreased in recent years. For a population to increase there must be on average more than two children born to every two adults. Obviously if every two parents only have one child then there will be fewer people in the next generation. At present the birth rate of native Europeans is about 1.5. While this decline of the European population has occurred, simultaneously there has been an influx of immigrants from around the world moving into Europe. Millions of people are flowing into the continent looking for work and a better life. many from the former colonies are moving to the countries that once ruled them. For instance, there is an increasing number of people from India moving into England, and Algerians into France. These originally came upon requests from European nations, wishing to increase the local work force to jump start economies after the war. These immigrants never left like expected, but instead brought their families. the immigration levels are beyond their control at this point and many are now seeing a crisis developing. Birth rates among the 15 million Muslims now living in the EU are 3 times the rate of native Europeans. Just through birth the Muslims will enormously increase their percentage of the population of Europe through the coming decades. For more about the increase in Muslims into Europe read my post Muslims in Europe.

America clearly has an immigration issue. Similar situations are arising in Europe, with droves flooding in from Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Before WWII the European nations dealt with immigration amongst European countries. The Colonial period saw European culture and population being exported all over the Globe. Now those cultures are being imported; the favor is being returned. Many in Europe are deeply concerned. The formerly white continent is now not just different shades of pale but covers the spectrum. If you want further reading google "Europe immigration" or something similar and many articles will show up. here are a few others:

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/01/african_immigration_to_europe.html
Has many photos of Africans trying to sneak into Europe through the Mediterranean. Here's one

http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=7243
Describes a rally held in Athens protesting immigration. Discusses some of the factors that lead to intolerance of immigrants.

http://www.aina.org/news/20070606133713.htm
Discusses the book by Walter Laqueur, "The Last Days of Europe: Epitaph for an Old Continent". Laqueur attacks the European tolerance of immigration. Fascinating read.

Although I post these websites I do not endorse their view. The immigration of people trying to achieve a better life whether right or wrong is happening. I'm indifferent to its' ethical status. Clearly unchecked immigration has problems, but it is an opportunity for Christianity to spread while staying at home. The millions of immigrants are people admitting vulnerability and seeking help. Why not give them the Gospel, and help them share the love of God with their families back home? Europe's problems are not that outsiders are coming in, it is that their Christian foundation has been neglected and is crumbling. If the church had been more concerned about living lives submitted to God rather than seeking the domination of both Europeans and others then maybe they would see this as an opportunity to help the weak, rather than a threat to their security.

The History of the Spread of Christianity

2009-04-21T22:45:00.005-05:00

Christianity has had a history of evacuating its' dominant centers for regions previously unaffected by Christianity. It began in Jerusalem and quickly spread throughout the Mediterranean world and essentially left Jerusalem. It was prominent in Turkey, and North Africa, but evacuated when the Muslims invaded. Already established in Italy it moved into the frontier of the time, France, Germany, and England. The religion moved into Eastern Europe and with the discovery of the New World it spread to North and South America. Lately there has been a new found vibrancy in Sub-Sahara Africa and pockets of Asia, but is falling away in Europe. Might we be looking at another instance of Christianity abandoning its' roots and immigrating to a new region? Is something similar happening in the US? The Middle East and North Africa, now the heart of Islam, were once the centers of Christianity and now are some of the darkest places on the planet.

This website shows a great 90 second visualization of the spread of the major religions throughout history. It is very informative. Check it out at
http://www.mapsofwar.com/ind/history-of-religion.html

If you pay close attention it really takes a long time for Christianity to leave Europe. Also notice how the religion moves along with the trade routes. It originates when the Roman empire was totally open and so it spread throughout the empire. As the routes in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia opened up it moved into those regions as well. Then Islam came and closed off access to Asia, there was no real trade route at the time through Russia, and the Muslims and that huge desert, the Sahara blocked trade access to Africa so for centuries it remained tucked away in Europe. When the trade routes opened up to the Americas it spread there. When colonialism began to flourish in Africa and Asia it eventually spread to those regions. Fascinating.

This has implications for the discussion of Islam in Europe...

Is Christianity dying in Europe?

2009-04-20T23:30:00.008-05:00

Is Christianity dying in Europe?
Yes...The great cathedrals are emptying throughout the continent, becoming museums containing the thought and art of the past, but no longer represent the present reality. The statistics can be hard to figure out sometimes because as everyone knows Christianity can be defined in different ways. Do the Protestants count the Catholics and the Orthodox and vice versa? How do the Charismatics fit in? Do you count Jehovah's Witness and Latter Day Saints? What about people that only show up for anything remotely Christian around Christmas time?

The quick answer to the question is that almost all the figures are falling. Church membership, attendance, adherence to Christian doctrine, etc. are all declining. No matter how you cut it all the statistics show Christianity declining in Europe. Here's a good article from USA Today in 2005:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-08-10-europe-religion-cover_x.htm

One quote from a man from Ireland: "I don't go to church, and I don't know one person who does, fifteen years ago, I didn't know one person who didn't"

Statistics still show a majority of the continent holding to a Christian heritage, but some figures can be misleading. Poland sports an approximate 95% affirmation of Catholicism. But in Poland to be Polish is to be Catholic. They are synonymous terms. Many claim links to Catholicism and yet many, outside of Easter and Christmas, have nothing to do with the faith, let alone significant interaction with Christ. And Poland is on the extreme end.

Czech Republic just to the south, and one of my destinations, is on the opposite extreme. They boasted in a 2001 poll 59% athiest, 27% Catholic, and 2% Protestant statistics. In the Eurobarometer Poll in 2005 only 19% of Czechs agreed that "they believe there is a god". That's a god of any kind, let alone the Christian God or significant relationship with Him. Overall, in that poll, only approximately 50% of the population of Europe as a whole beleived that there was a generic god of some kind.

Evangelical numbers are even more desolate. Evangelicals are roughly defined as people who hold to the traditional creeds of the church, take the Bible seriously as God's revelation, and hold to Jesus Christ being the only way for salvation...roughly. This definition then includes some but not all Protestants, Roman Catholics, Orthodox, etc. For comparison sake Operation World estimates the percentage of Americans who are evangelical at 32%. Their statistics will admittedly be low in Europe because they did not include most Catholics, and Orthodox with Evangelicals, even though many within those would have some relationship with Christ. Nevertheless some of the numbers are staggering: % Evangelical: Belgium 0.7%, France 0.8%, Germany 2.9%, Italy 0.9%, Netherlands 4.5%.

See http://www.joshuaproject.net/continents.php for a full run down of Evangelical statistics in Europe.

The Catholic and Orthodox churches still hold enormous memberships. Yet, it is hard to tell how many of these members have a true relationship with Christ. Different practices and beliefs sometimes make it hard to tell how many in these Churches believe the Gospel. Large numbers of members live completely nominal lives, there is still a high veneration of Mary beyond what is decent, there is a pervasive works-based salvation theology, etc.

Nevertheless there are still likely millions of Catholics and Orthodox who have accepted the Gospel and are striving hard after the Lord. Similar problems as the Catholics and the Orthodox exist with the Protestants as well. In either case the numbers are all declining.

To sum up Christianity is slowly seeping out of Europe and being replaced by secular humanism. This is why someone must go, to help the believers there to close the flood gates...

Here are some other websites containing statistics:
http://www.joshuaproject.net
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholicism_in_Europe
http://www.earthhealing.info/catholicstats.pdf

and here's what we'd like to see again, the Cathedrals and churches being used to worship the Lord:

Why Europe?

2009-04-17T20:24:00.002-05:00

Why Europe?
Sounds like a sweet gig right? Like, “I’m going to minister in Hawaii or the Bahamas”. I know you may be wondering why I would be thinking about ministering in Europe. After all why not just stay in the States, or if you were to move that far away why not somewhere really desperate like Africa or Asia? I have my reasons and would love for you to know them so that you can know my heart and know how to pray specifically for the Europeans. So, the shortest answer to why Europe…Christianity is dying there.

A slow process is sucking the life out Christianity in Europe. The change was gradual over centuries, and there are many causes and reasons why, which I will explain in later posts. But, unless the return to Christianity occurs in this generation the continent will in all likelihood spit it out like a bitter poison, which is what many there view the Church as. Someone needs to go. We will see if that someone is me…

2009-04-16T23:52:00.006-05:00

This is a picture of Riga, Latvia one of my destinations this summer. Clearly the cities I will visit are beautiful, but that is not why I'm going. Europe's city skylines are checkered with the domes and spires of cathedrals, yet their halls remain hollow. Christianity is fading in Europe. The continent is now post-Christian. I believe they need salvation that only Jesus can give, and so I am going to see if God wants me moving there after I graduate. This blog will tell the story of the trip. Thanks for Reading! Enjoy